Curated list: Open micro app templates for every use case (chat, maps, scheduling, ops)

Ship micro apps faster: forkable templates for chat, maps, scheduling, and ops

You're busy. You need a small, trustworthy starting point that you can fork, customize, and deploy in hours — not weeks. This curated collection of open micro app templates is organized by use case (chat, maps, scheduling, ops) and includes tech stacks, realistic build-time estimates, and copy-paste quick-start commands so you can get a working prototype live in minutes.

The 2026 context — why micro apps matter now

Since late 2024, low-latency LLMs, vector stores at the edge, and robust auto-generated CI/CD templates have made it trivial to assemble focused, single-purpose apps. In 2026 we see three trends that make micro apps the pragmatic choice for teams and power users:

• Vibe coding and assisted development: Devs and non-devs build prototypes with AI pair programmers and common templates in hours.
• Edge-first deployments: Edge functions (Vercel, Cloudflare, Fly.io) give sub-50ms cold starts for micro services, so micro apps feel snappy.
• Composable data infra: Managed vector DBs (Qdrant, Weaviate), serverless Postgres (Neon, Supabase), and identity-as-a-service (Clerk, Auth0) let you focus on features, not plumbing.

Micro apps are intentionally small, opinionated, and forkable — they should reduce decision friction, not add it.

How to use this collection

Each template below has the following quick reference:

• One-liner — what the micro app does.
• Tech stack — frontend, backend, DB, identity, and deployments commonly used in 2026.
• Estimated build time — time to fork, configure env vars, and deploy a working prototype.
• Quick start — copy-paste commands to get running locally.
• Notes — integration tips, security considerations, and scaling boundaries.

Chat micro app templates

1) MicroChat: LLM assistant with memory and file upload

One-liner: A minimal chat UI with context-aware replies, file uploads, and a vector-store-backed memory.

• Repo (forkable): github.com/example/microchat
• Tech stack: Next.js 14 (App Router), React, Tailwind CSS, NextAuth/Clerk, FastAPI microservice for embeddings, Qdrant vector DB, OpenAI or private LLM endpoint (Llama 3-style).
• Estimated build time: 1–4 hours (prototype), 1–2 days (secure production-ready with auth).
• Quick start:

  git clone https://github.com/example/microchat.git
  cd microchat
  # frontend
  cd web
  cp .env.example .env
  # set NEXT_PUBLIC_API_URL and NEXT_PUBLIC_EMBED_ENDPOINT
  npm install
  npm run dev
  
  # backend embeddings service (optional)
  cd ../embeddings
  docker compose up --build

• Notes:
  • Store embeddings in Qdrant or a managed vector DB; avoid storing raw secrets in vectors.
  • For private LLMs, run an edge LLM endpoint or use an internal API key rotation system.
  • Consider rate limits and costs for hosted LLMs; add caching for repeated prompts.

2) SlackBot-lite: ChatOps bot with actions

One-liner: A lightweight bot that integrates with Slack/Mattermost to answer queries and perform simple team actions (create issue, run query).

• Repo (forkable): github.com/example/slackbot-lite
• Tech stack: Node.js (Express), Bolt SDK (Slack), SQLite (local) or Postgres, GitHub Actions template for deployment, optional LLM integration for natural language parsing.
• Estimated build time: 1–3 hours.
• Quick start:

  git clone https://github.com/example/slackbot-lite.git
  cd slackbot-lite
  cp .env.example .env
  # set SLACK_BOT_TOKEN and SLACK_SIGNING_SECRET
  npm install
  npm run dev

• Notes: Use token scopes minimally and rotate tokens regularly. Add a command approval workflow for destructive actions.

Maps micro app templates

3) LocalMaps: neighborhood explorer with POIs and filters

One-liner: Interactive map micro app for localized points-of-interest with tagging and user-submitted recommendations.

• Repo (forkable): github.com/example/localmaps
• Tech stack: SvelteKit (or Next.js), Maplibre / OpenLayers, Postgres + PostGIS (or Supabase), REST API on Fastify, client-side clustering with Supercluster, Mapbox style tiles or open-source tile server.
• Estimated build time: 2–8 hours (basic), 1–3 days (with geospatial queries and deployments).
• Quick start:

  git clone https://github.com/example/localmaps.git
  cd localmaps
  cp .env.example .env
  # set TILE_URL and DATABASE_URL
  npm install
  npm run dev
  
  # local Postgres with PostGIS (if needed)
  docker compose up -d

• Notes:
  • Prefer open map styles (MapLibre) if you need no-proprietary dependencies.
  • For user submissions, sanitize inputs and rate-limit uploads to prevent spam.
  • For offline-first mobile micro apps, prefetch tiles and use vector tile caching.

4) RoutePlanner: route optimization micro service

One-liner: Compute optimized routes for deliveries or field teams and expose a lightweight API.

• Repo (forkable): github.com/example/routeplanner
• Tech stack: Rust or Go backend for speed, Postgres + PostGIS, OSRM or GraphHopper for routing, minimal React UI to visualize routes.
• Estimated build time: 4–16 hours to get a small instance working; more to tune routing heuristics.
• Quick start:

  git clone https://github.com/example/routeplanner.git
  cd routeplanner
  # bring up routing engine via Docker
  cp .env.example .env
  docker compose up --build
  # open http://localhost:3000

• Notes: Running OSRM locally requires pre-processing tiles; for quick experiments use hosted routing APIs (Mapbox, GraphHopper cloud).

Scheduling micro app templates

5) MeetMicro: simple team scheduler with availabilities

One-liner: Share availability, propose meeting slots, and book in one small UI with calendar sync.

• Repo (forkable): github.com/example/meetmicro
• Tech stack: Remix or Next.js, FullCalendar on the client, serverless functions for iCal/ICS generation, Supabase (Auth + DB) or Neon Postgres for persistence, Google Calendar API integration optional.
• Estimated build time: 2–6 hours for a working fork; 1 day to add calendar sync and email reminders.
• Quick start:

  git clone https://github.com/example/meetmicro.git
  cd meetmicro
  cp .env.example .env
  # set SUPABASE_URL and SUPABASE_ANON_KEY or DATABASE_URL
  npm install
  npm run dev

• Notes:
  • ICS generation is straightforward and avoids deep OAuth if you only need exports.
  • For production, add webhook-based reminders (SendGrid, Postmark) and enforce invitation tokens.

6) ShiftBoard: roster and shift swapping micro app

One-liner: Lightweight roster editor with conflict detection and swap requests for hourly teams.

• Repo (forkable): github.com/example/shiftboard
• Tech stack: Vue 3 or SvelteKit, Prisma + Postgres, server-side validation, optional Twilio/email notifier.
• Estimated build time: 3–12 hours.
• Quick start:

  git clone https://github.com/example/shiftboard.git
  cd shiftboard
  cp .env.example .env
  npm install
  npx prisma migrate dev
  npm run dev

• Notes: Model shift constraints clearly in the DB and use optimistic locking for concurrent edits.

Ops micro app templates

7) IncidentDash: incident response micro app

One-liner: Create incidents, assign responders, and record timelines with minimal UI and integrations to PagerDuty/Slack.

• Repo (forkable): github.com/example/incidentdash
• Tech stack: React + Vite, Express or Fastify API, SQLite (file-based) for single-file deployments or Postgres for team use, WebSocket/Server-Sent Events for live updates.
• Estimated build time: 2–8 hours for a usable fork.
• Quick start:

  git clone https://github.com/example/incidentdash.git
  cd incidentdash
  cp .env.example .env
  npm install
  # start backend and frontend
  npm run dev

• Notes:
  • Integrate with incident notifiers using signed webhooks and validate payloads.
  • Keep sensitive logs out of client DBs; store them in secure object storage and reference via signed URLs.

8) K8s-Health: cluster micro dashboard

One-liner: Small dashboard that surfaces deployment health, pod restarts, and simple rollout controls for engineers.

• Repo (forkable): github.com/example/k8s-health
• Tech stack: Go backend talking to Kubernetes API (k8s client-go) with token-based auth, minimal React UI, GitHub Actions to run checks.
• Estimated build time: 4–16 hours, depending on cluster access and RBAC setup.
• Quick start:

  git clone https://github.com/example/k8s-health.git
  cd k8s-health
  cp .env.example .env
  # set KUBECONFIG or K8S_TOKEN
  make build
  ./k8s-health

• Notes: Run this behind single-sign-on and restrict RBAC so the service account cannot escalate privileges.

How to pick the right micro app template

Use this checklist before forking:

1. Scope match: Does the template solve the immediate problem, or will you spend most time stripping features?
2. Tech familiarity: Pick a stack your team can maintain (Next.js + Node is safe; Rust/Go is great when performance matters).
3. Deployment path: Ensure the template supports your target (Vercel, Netlify, Fly, Railway, or self-hosted Docker/K8s).
4. Security and compliance: Does it include secure defaults (helmet, CSRF, input validation) and a license you accept?
5. Extensibility: Are the key integrations implemented as modular services or hard-coded?

Security, licensing, and operational tips

Forking a public repo is quick, but production readiness means addressing several non-functional concerns upfront.

• Secrets management: Replace .env files with secret stores (Vercel Environment Variables, GitHub Secrets, HashiCorp Vault) before sharing or deploying.
• API keys & costs: LLM and map APIs can incur significant costs. Add usage caps and alerts when integrating paid services.
• License check: Verify the repo license (MIT, Apache 2.0, GPL) matches your intended usage. Prefer permissive licenses for business forks.
• Input hygiene: Sanitize file uploads and inputs. For chat apps, redact PII before storing embeddings or logs.
• Minimal RBAC: Start with least privilege for service accounts and user roles; expand only as necessary.

Deployment patterns in 2026

Here are recommended deployment targets depending on template complexity:

• Static + serverless (Next.js, SvelteKit): Vercel, Netlify, Cloudflare Pages — fastest to deploy.
• Containers (backend services, routing engines): Fly.io, Railway, Render, or GCP Cloud Run.
• Stateful services (Postgres, Qdrant, Redis): Managed providers (Supabase, Neon, Aiven) to avoid ops overhead.
• Edge functions: Use them for authentication checks, geolocation routing, and small inference tasks when latency matters.

Advanced strategies and future-proofing (2026+)

To keep a micro app maintainable and future-proof:

• Isolate integrations: Use adapters for LLMs, map providers, and notifiers so you can swap vendors easily.
• Observable by default: Add basic telemetry (Prometheus-compatible metrics or lightweight APM) so small apps remain debuggable in production.
• Local-first workflows: Give contributors a one-command local dev environment (Docker Compose or devcontainers) to reduce onboarding friction.
• Test scaffolding: Include smoke/integration tests that run on every PR — these prevent regressions in small teams where QA cycles are short.
• Composable infra-as-code: Ship simple Terraform or Pulumi snippets that create DBs, object storage, and DNS for a predictable prod rollout.

Community contributions and governance

Forkable micro apps thrive when contributors know the rules. If you publish a template, include:

• CONTRIBUTING.md with coding standards and testing expectations.
• Issue and PR templates to standardize requests, especially for security reports.
• CHANGELOG and roadmaps so downstream forks can track breaking changes.
• Security policy (SECURITY.md) and an email/bug bounty process for sensitive issues.

Real-world example: from fork to 24-hour production pilot

Scenario: A small ops team needs an incident micro app for a weekend hack. Here's a practical timeline using a curated template:

1. Hour 0–1: Fork incidentdash, set up environment variables, and run locally with SQLite.
2. Hour 1–3: Add team SSO (Clerk or Google OAuth) and configure Slack webhooks to post incidents.
3. Hour 3–6: Deploy to a free-tier host (Vercel + Railway Postgres) with one-click templates and validate webhooks from Slack.
4. Hour 6–24: Harden: add request validation, rotate webhook secrets, and enable simple logging and alerting to Slack for high-severity incidents.

This pilot proves the workflow before you commit to a longer production hardening sprint.

Checklist before you hit production

• Remove debug keys and sample data.
• Switch from dev DBs to managed instances with backups.
• Enable HTTPS and HSTS; ensure cookies and tokens are secure.
• Run a basic security scan (Snyk, Dependabot alerts) and address high-severity findings.
• Define an incident response plan for the micro app itself (who will own alerts?).

Curate, fork, iterate — don't reinvent

Micro apps are powerful because they let teams deliver value fast. Use this collection as a toolkit: fork what fits, replace what doesn't, and keep the scope tiny. Templates are living artifacts — maintain governance and tests so forks remain viable over time.

Actionable takeaways

• Start with a template whose scope equals your MVP — avoid feature bloat.
• Prefer templates with one-command local dev and minimal infra assumptions.
• Lock down secrets and vet third-party APIs for cost and compliance before enabling them in prod.
• Contribute back: a clear CONTRIBUTING.md multiplies the value for everyone.

Further reading & staying current (2026)

Follow releases from edge providers (Vercel, Cloudflare), vector DB projects (Qdrant, Weaviate), and the major LLM vendors for best practices evolving in late 2025 and early 2026. Trends to watch: federated embeddings, on-device inference, and standardization of compact prompt templates for micro apps.

Call to action

Fork one micro app from this collection now, deploy it to a free tier, and iterate for a week. Share your fork and small improvements with the community — submit a PR or open an issue with your changes so others can benefit. If you want, drop your repo link in our community channel and get feedback on hardening, cost control, and deploy patterns.

Ready to ship a micro app? Pick a category above, fork the repo, and use the quick-start commands to get your prototype online in under a day.

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