Minimator draws graphics from lines on a grid-based canvas in a minimalist browser editor.
Minimator
Minimator provides a minimalist drawing editor with horizontal and vertical lines and quarter-circle shapes.
About Minimator
Minimator is a minimalist drawing editor whose entire shape vocabulary is horizontal lines, vertical lines and quarter circles. The author describes building it for tablets first, aiming for gesture handling comparable to Procreate, and states the end goal would have been a way to send creations to a plotter; that plotter step is described as a goal rather than an existing feature. The project is published on GitHub as a repository with development instructions, and a hosted version is linked from the page for people who just want to try it.
The editor is free, and the author states he passed on adding a donation button. The code is written in TypeScript using modern web features (web components, imports, CSS variables) and deliberately has no bundler or framework, with a small self-written test runner for a few basic tests. Because of that choice, the author notes it is not heavily optimised for load speed.
Key features
- Drawing restricted to horizontal lines, vertical lines and quarter-circle shapes
- Free to use; author states no donation or paid option is offered
- Designed tablet-first, with gestures compared by the author to Procreate
- Built in TypeScript using web components, imports and CSS variables
- No bundler or framework; a small custom test runner handles basic tests
- Can be run locally by serving the repository over HTTP
Best for: People who want a deliberately simple browser drawing tool, or developers looking at a small framework-free TypeScript app.
Good for
- Free of charge, with the author stating no paid option is planned
- Very small scope, so the editor stays limited to a few primitive shapes
- Uses standard modern web features instead of a framework or bundler
Watch out for
- Author notes load speed is not heavily optimised because no build system is used
- Only horizontal lines, vertical lines and quarter circles are available
- The custom test runner is described by the author as basic and mostly for fun
Minimator at a glance
- Category
- Design & Creative › Image Creation & Editing
- Type
- Open-source project
- Pricing
- Not confirmed. Check the site
- Open source
- Not stated
- Language
- English
- Last checked
- Oct 5, 2026 · Online when checked
- Listed
- Oct 5, 2026
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Minimator FAQ
Why is there no proper build system?
The author says the TypeScript compiler and modern web features are enough to build the app, and that adding a build system would bloat it. He acknowledges this makes load speed less optimised.
Why was the test runner rewritten?
It was built as a tiny runner for a few basic tests, mainly so testing could work without an internet connection and for the challenge. The author says the plan was to switch to an established library, which is why the API is similar.
Why is it free?
The author says he builds projects for his own pleasure first. He considered a donation button to fund a plotter for printing creations, but doubted it would raise enough and was unsure about the tax reporting, so he dropped the idea.
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