Draft:Single File Web Apps

  • Comment: Fragments of LLM writing, as noted by previous declines, still persist. – haj ☘ (talk) 02:00, 16 September 2025 (UTC)



A Single File Web App (SFWA) is a type of Single-Page App (SPA) that it is composed of only a static HTML file with no external dependencies (including external images, JavaScript, CSS, etc), and no server components. Note that the HTML file can have javascript, css, and images - as long as they are embedded in the singular HTML file.

Overview

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Single File Web Apps are designed to run entirely offline or in isolation, with every resource—HTML, CSS, JavaScript, images, and fonts—embedded directly into a single HTML file. This makes them uniquely portable and easy to distribute. Users can simply download the file and open it in a browser without any installation or hosting setup.

Features

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  • No server component – runs purely in the browser (with the optional exception of a static file server, whose sole job is to return the static html file).
  • Self-contained – all assets included directly within the file.
  • Portable – can be distributed by email, USB stick, or local file sharing.
  • Offline-friendly – works without an internet connection once downloaded.
  • Simple deployment – just drop the file onto any static file host, such as GitHub Pages or a local filesystem.

Identification

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In order to identify if a web app is a Single File Web App, you can perform the following steps:

  1. Navigate to the web app, and after it loads, save the web page to your desktop ("HTML only" if given the option) by going to File -> Save Page As (or the equivalent menu name in your browser).
  2. Turn off your internet
  3. Navigate to the HTML file on your desktop, and double-click on it to open it (or open it your browser by going to File -> Open File).
  4. Test that the app works fully while you are disconnected from the internet. If it does, then it's a SFWA. If it does not work while disconnected from the internet, then it is not a SFWA.

Examples

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  • TiddlyWiki[1] - a "highly customizable non-linear personal notebook and wiki that runs entirely in a single HTML file"
  • FuzzyGraph[2] - "a non-binary graphing calculator in a single html file."
  • Hypervault[3] - a "personal computing platform in a single html file."
  • Slingcode[4] - "a file encryption app in a single html file."
  • A collection of single file web apps can be found here[5]

See also

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Category:Web applications Category:Software development

References

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  1. ^ "TiddlyWiki". highly customizable non-linear personal notebook and wiki that runs entirely in a single HTML file
  2. ^ "FuzzyGraph". a non-binary graphing calculator in a single html file.
  3. ^ "Hypervault". a file encryption app in a single html file
  4. ^ "Slingcode". personal computing platform in a single html file
  5. ^ "single-html-file-apps". GitHub. A collection of self-contained, zero-dependency web applications built as single .html files. These apps run entirely in the browser — no build tools, no servers, no nonsense.
  6. ^ Single File Page Apps intro, September 10, 2025