appthat

AppThat is a cross-platform application development platform designed to enable developers to build, package, and distribute applications from a single codebase. It combines a runtime, a development toolkit, and an online marketplace to streamline creation for mobile, desktop, and web targets.

The project began as a community-driven initiative in the early 2010s and evolved through a series of releases managed by the AppThat Consortium. Key milestones include the initial Core runtime, a visual IDE, and a centralized app marketplace that enables distribution and monetization across platforms.

The platform's architecture includes a cross-platform runtime compatible with iOS, Android, Windows, macOS, Linux, and web browsers, a JavaScript/TypeScript core, a declarative UI library, and native bridges that enable access to device capabilities. The toolkit supports hot reloading, modular plugins, and a package manager.

Features include a single codebase that compiles to multiple targets, performance optimizations that reduce rendering overhead, offline-first data handling, integrated analytics, and built-in security and permissions management. The AppThat Marketplace offers distribution channels, templates, and monetization options for developers.

Development and licensing: development is coordinated by the AppThat Foundation with input from an open community. The project is released under a permissive open-source license, with commercial terms available for enterprise deployments and marketplace usage.

Reception: AppThat has been adopted by independent developers and some small-to-mid-sized enterprises for rapid prototyping and cross-platform delivery. Critics point to performance differences with native implementations and to a sometimes crowded ecosystem with competition from other cross-platform frameworks.