explaingit

alibaba/ice

★ 18,631TypeScriptAudience · developerComplexity · 3/5MaintainedLicenseSetup · easy

TLDR

React framework with zero-config setup, file-based routing, and built-in server rendering. Start a new project with one command.

Mindmap

mindmap
  root((ice.js))
    What it does
      Zero-config setup
      File-based routing
      Server rendering
    Features
      TypeScript support
      CSS modules
      Plugin system
    Rendering modes
      Server-side rendering
      Static generation
      Mini-apps
    Tech stack
      React
      TypeScript
      Node.js
    Use cases
      Web applications
      Static sites
      WeChat mini-apps

Things people build with this

USE CASE 1

Build a React web app without manually configuring webpack, routing, or build tools.

USE CASE 2

Create a static site that pre-renders pages at build time for fast loading.

USE CASE 3

Develop a WeChat mini-app using React and file-based routing.

USE CASE 4

Set up server-side rendering to generate pages on demand for SEO and dynamic content.

Tech stack

ReactTypeScriptNode.jsCSS Modules

Getting it running

Difficulty · easy Time to first run · 5min
Use freely for any purpose, including commercial use, as long as you keep the copyright notice.

In plain English

ice.js is a React-based web application framework built by Alibaba that aims to reduce configuration overhead. Instead of manually setting up build tools, routing, and state management, ice.js provides these out of the box with sensible defaults, following a "zero config" philosophy where TypeScript, CSS modules, and other common needs work without additional setup. The framework uses file-system routing, the structure of your files automatically determines the URL routes in your app, so you don't need to write routing configuration manually. It supports server-side rendering (generating pages on the server at request time) and static site generation (pre-building pages at build time), as well as a plugin system for extending functionality. It also supports mini-apps, a format used on platforms like WeChat. A new project can be started with a single command. The framework is MIT-licensed and maintained with community contributions.

Copy-paste prompts

Prompt 1
How do I create a new ice.js project and set up my first page using file-based routing?
Prompt 2
Show me how to enable server-side rendering in an ice.js app and what the performance benefits are.
Prompt 3
How do I use the ice.js plugin system to add custom build or runtime behavior?
Prompt 4
What's the difference between static site generation and server-side rendering in ice.js, and when should I use each?
Prompt 5
How do I build a WeChat mini-app with ice.js instead of a regular web app?
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Generated 2026-05-18 · Model: sonnet-4-6 · Verify against the repo before relying on details.