Hi Hacker News,
I've been building ZenMoment (zenmoment.net) - a meditation and breathing exercise tool designed with two core
principles: simplicity and privacy.
The Problem with Most Meditation Apps
After trying dozens of meditation apps, I noticed a pattern:
- They require sign-ups and collect personal data
- Bloated with features I never use
- Subscription paywalls for basic timers
- Constant upselling and gamification
- Privacy policies that read like data collection playbooks
ZenMoment's Approach
Built with Next.js 14 (static export) and deployed on Cloudflare Pages:
Core Features:
- Simple meditation timer (1/3/5/10/15 minutes)
- 4-7-8 breathing exercise with visual guides
- Dark mode for night sessions
- Daily stats tracking
- SEO-optimized blog for meditation content
Privacy by Design:
- Zero server-side data - pure localStorage
- No cookies, no tracking, no user accounts
- No third-party analytics
- GDPR/CCPA compliant by default
- Open source (transparent codebase)
Technical Highlights:
- Static generation - loads in <1s
- Core Web Vitals optimized
- WCAG AAA accessibility compliance
- Responsive design (mobile-first)
- Works offline after first load
Why I Built This
As both a developer and meditation practitioner, I wanted a tool that:
1. Opens instantly without login screens
2. Doesn't track my meditation habits
3. Respects my attention (no notifications asking "hey, come back!")
4. Actually helps me meditate rather than gamify it
The architecture is intentionally minimal - Zustand for state management, Framer Motion for smooth animations, and
Tailwind for styling. Everything runs client-side after the initial load.
What's Next
I'm currently working on:
- Additional breathing patterns (box breathing)
- Optional ambient sounds (forest, rain, ocean - also loaded locally)
- Lightweight PWA support
- More meditation techniques content on the blog
Try It Out
Would love to get feedback from the HN community:
- Site: https://zenmoment.net
- Tech stack: Next.js 14, TypeScript, Tailwind CSS, Zustand, Cloudflare Pages
- Privacy: Everything stays on your device
Curious to hear your thoughts on privacy-first wellness apps and whether this minimalist approach resonates with
fellow devs who meditate.
Thanks for checking it out!
