Monoframe

The Frappe Framework, Distilled.

Monoframe is a lightweight, single-tenant web framework for Python. It takes the powerful metadata-driven engine of Frappe and strips away the multi-tenancy, the "Bench" tool, and the complex deployment architecture.

It is Frappe for developers who want to build one solid application, not manage a hosting platform.

Why Monoframe?

The original Frappe Framework is an engineering marvel, but it was built to run an ERP ecosystem (ERPNext) with hundreds of sites on a single server. This architectural decision brings massive complexity:

• Bloat: A standard install can weigh over 1.8GB.
• Complexity: Requires a custom CLI tool (bench) just to manage processes.
• Obscurity: Database connections rely on HTTP host headers and folder lookups.

Monoframe changes the philosophy:

1. No Bench: We use standard Python tooling (pip, venv, pyproject.toml).
2. Single Tenant: One application = One Database. Configuration happens in .env, not in a common_site_config.json buried three folders deep.
3. Lightweight: We stripped the "platform" code to focus on the "application" code.

Comparison

Quick Start

(Note: Monoframe is currently in active development. These commands are the target DX.)

1. Installation

Monoframe is a standard Python package. You don't need to install a system-wide CLI tool first.

pip install monoframe

2. Create a Project

Generate a clean, flat project structure. No apps folder, no sites folder.

monoframe new my_cool_app
cd my_cool_app

3. Run Development Server

Connects to the DB specified in your .env and starts the server.

monoframe start
# Server running at http://localhost:8000

📂 Project Structure

Monoframe simplifies the directory hierarchy significantly.

Before (Frappe Bench):

frappe-bench/
├── apps/
│   ├── frappe/
│   └── my_app/
├── sites/
│   ├── assets/
│   ├── site1.local/
│   └── common_site_config.json
└── config/

After (Monoframe):

my_cool_app/
├── .env                # Database credentials
├── main.py             # Entry point
├── pyproject.toml      # Dependencies
└── src/
    └── doctypes/       # Your data models
    └── api/            # Your API endpoints

🛠 Roadmap

• Phase 1: Extraction. Successfully run the Frappe ORM and Desk without bench.
• Phase 2: Cleanup. Remove multi-tenancy code (frappe.init(site=...)) and site-based routing.
• Phase 3: Typing. Add Type Hints to core functions for better VS Code autocompletion.
• Phase 4: Diet. Remove heavy dependencies (PDF generation, Pandas) and make them optional extras.

❤️ Credits

Monoframe is a hard fork of Frappe. We owe everything to the genius of the Frappe team. We aren't trying to replace them; we are offering an alternative path for specific use cases.

License

MIT