How Mocha Makes Apps as Easy as Writing a Doc
- Founders
-
Ben Reinhart
Nicholas Charriere
Building an app used to mean wrestling with stacks of code, endless configurations, and late-night debugging. Mocha changes all that, making app creation feel as natural as jotting down your thoughts. Ben Reinhart and Nicholas Charriere set out to dissolve the wall between idea and execution, and now Mocha turns imagination into real apps faster than ever.
Turning Ideas into Instant Reality
Mocha didn't start by aiming at AI-powered magic. It began life as a TypeScript notebook aimed at engineers tired of juggling Jupyter and TypeScript conversions. The team quickly realized they were sitting on a bigger idea. "We had this cool AI notebook feature that could instantly spin up an entire app," says Ben. "Once we saw what AI could do, we knew the notebook was just the beginning."
Your Personal Developer
Today, Mocha lets anyone describe an app idea right in their browser, then watch as an AI developer transforms it into a fully working web app in real-time. No setup, no hassle – just instant creativity. Each user session gets its own dedicated sandbox environment, powered entirely by Fly.io.
"Every user's app spins up its own sandbox server on Fly.io," explains Ben. "Our Elixir backend connects via SSH, pushing commands and updates effortlessly. It's a seamless experience, like having an on-demand, always-ready developer at your side."
Built Fast, Built Right
For Mocha, Fly.io wasn't just a convenience – it was essential. The simplicity, reliability, and clear REST APIs meant Ben's small team could avoid complicated infrastructure headaches and focus on product. Mocha uses Fly.io Machines for everything from running Vite dev servers to building the final apps before they're deployed.
"Honestly, we never seriously looked anywhere else," Ben laughs. "Fly.io just worked so well for our dev and build processes. We needed something robust for stateful, persistent sessions, and Fly.io was perfect."
Scaling Creativity
With Fly.io handling Mocha's infrastructure, scaling isn't an issue – even when hundreds of users build apps simultaneously. "We run a dedicated Fly Machine for each user's app. Fly.io handles this with aplomb," Ben notes. Mocha's ability to spin servers up and down dynamically means users only pay for what they use, keeping creativity affordable.
Mocha's Vision: Barrier-Free Building
Ben and his team believe app development shouldn't be limited by skill or speed. Mocha, powered by Fly.io, brings their vision of barrier-free app creation closer to reality every day. "We want everyone to experience that magic moment when their idea becomes real," Ben says. "Fly.io helps us deliver that moment, reliably and effortlessly, every single time."
Mocha isn't just making it easier to build apps. They're setting out to redefine what it means to bring ideas to life: your next big idea deserves to exist, not someday, but right now. Mocha makes it real.