EaseForm

Privacy-first, open-source form builder alternative to Google Forms.

EaseForm is designed for users who need a simple, secure, and privacy-respecting way to collect data without the bloat of enterprise form builders. It prioritizes respondent anonymity and data ownership while delivering a polished, modern user experience.

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🚀 Why EaseForm? (The Motive)

In an era of enhance data tracking, EaseForm was built on three core principles:

1. Privacy First: No respondent login required. No tracking pixels. We use a privacy-preserving device hash to prevent duplicate submissions without storing personal identifiers.
2. Simplicity & Speed: A lightweight tech stack that loads instantly. No heavy interaction frameworks—just pure, optimized performance.
3. Ownership: You own your data. Powered by your own Supabase instance, giving you full control over your backend and Row Level Security (RLS) policies.

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🛠️ Technology Stack & Logic

EaseForm uses a modern, decoupled architecture separating the frontend client from the API backend.

1. Backend (/backend)

• Framework: FastAPI (Python)
  • Chosen for its high performance (Asynchronous), authentic data validation (Pydantic), and automatic documentation (/docs).
• Authentication & Database: Supabase
  • Acts as the Auth provider and PostgreSQL database.
  • Logic: The backend verifies Supabase JWTs for protected routes (creating forms, viewing responses) but allows public access for submitting responses.
• Security:
  • Rate Limiting: slowapi protects against abuse (e.g., 5 requests/minute for submissions).
  • Security Headers: Custom middleware enforces HSTS, X-Frame-Options, and CSP.
  • CORS: Strictly configured to allow only trust origins.

2. Frontend (/frontend)

• Core: Vanilla HTML5, JavaScript (ES6+), and CSS3, Tailwind CSS.
  • Logic: No heavy framework (React/Vue) means zero build-time overhead for logic. We use native browser APIs for fetching data and DOM manipulation.
• Styling: Tailwind CSS
  • Uses a local build process (npm run build) to generate a tiny, optimized CSS file (output.css).
• State Management:
  • window.API: A centralized wrapper for all backend calls.
  • window.CacheUtils: Implements a "stale-while-revalidate" strategy to keep the dashboard snappy without constant network requests.

3. Database (/database)

• PostgreSQL: relational data model.
• RLS (Row Level Security): Policies enforced at the database level ensure:
  • Users can only see/edit their forms.
  • Respondents can insert responses but cannot read them.

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💻 Setup Guide (How to run on another system)

Follow these steps to set up EaseForm locally or on a server.

Prerequisites

• Python 3.9+
• Node.js 18+ (for Tailwind CSS build)
• A Supabase project (Free tier works great).

Phase 1: Environment Setup

1. Clone the repository

   git clone https://github.com/yourusername/easeform.git
   cd easeform

2. Configure .env root : # Your Supabase project URL (e.g., https://xxxxx.supabase.co) SUPABASE_URL=https://soqcmihyqsiednppptly.supabase.co

Your Supabase anonymous/public key

SUPABASE_ANON_KEY=eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpc3MiOiJzdXBhYmFzZSIsInJlZiI6InNvcWNtaWh5cXNpZWRucHBwdGx5Iiwicm9sZSI6ImFub24iLCJpYXQiOjE3NzA3MTE2NjcsImV4cCI6MjA4NjI4NzY2N30.LbEaksKF_jQVGSSAB38bAX-FJAsiOg720SoplMcMleA

/backend/.env :

Supabase Configuration

SUPABASE_URL=https://soqcmihyqsiednppptly.supabase.co

SUPABASE_ANON_KEY=eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpc3MiOiJzdXBhYmFzZSIsInJlZiI6InNvcWNtaWh5cXNpZWRucHBwdGx5Iiwicm9sZSI6ImFub24iLCJpYXQiOjE3NzA3MTE2NjcsImV4cCI6MjA4NjI4NzY2N30.LbEaksKF_jQVGSSAB38bAX-FJAsiOg720SoplMcMleA

SUPABASE_SERVICE_KEY=eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpc3MiOiJzdXBhYmFzZSIsInJlZiI6InNvcWNtaWh5cXNpZWRucHBwdGx5Iiwicm9sZSI6InNlcnZpY2Vfcm9sZSIsImlhdCI6MTc3MDcxMTY2NywiZXhwIjoyMDg2Mjg3NjY3fQ.IEyJ0GBhZ545qdWSpPSX3bK2-rRI4Wa9MbUZl6fV3eI

Frontend URL (for CORS)

FRONTEND_URL=http://localhost:8080

Environment

ENVIRONMENT=development

Phase 2: Backend Setup

1. Create Virtual Environment

   cd backend
   python -m venv venv
   # Windows
   venv\Scripts\activate
   # Mac/Linux
   source venv/bin/activate

2. Install Dependencies

   pip install -r requirements.txt

3. Start Server

   python -m uvicorn app.main:app --reload

   • API will run at http://localhost:8000.
   • Docs available at http://localhost:8000/api/docs.

Phase 3: Frontend Setup

1. Install Build Tools

   cd ../frontend
   npm install

2. Generate Configuration

   • This script reads your .env and checks for system variables to generate frontend/config.js.

   node ../generate-config.js

3. Build CSS

   # One-time build
   npm run build
   
   # Or watch for changes during development
   npm run watch

4. Serve Frontend

   • You can use any static file server. For VS Code users, "Live Server" extension is recommended.
   • Serve the frontend directory.

Phase 4: Database Setup

1. Go to your Supabase SQL Editor.
2. Run the validation script located at database/validation.sql to confirm your schema is ready.
3. (Optional) If setting up from scratch, you will need the initial schema migration scripts (ensure forms, questions, responses, profiles tables exist).

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📂 Project Structure

easeform/
├── backend/            # FastAPI Application
│   ├── app/            # Source code (routers, models)
│   └── requirements.txt
├── frontend/           # Static Web Application
│   ├── src/            # Input CSS for Tailwind
│   ├── dist/           # Compiled Output CSS
│   ├── utils/          # Shared JS logic (API, Auth, Cache)
│   ├── dashboard/      # Dashboard Page
│   ├── create/         # Form Builder
│   ├── forms/          # Public Form View
│   └── package.json    # Build dependencies
├── database/           # SQL Scripts
└── generate-config.js  # Config generator utility

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🛡️ Privacy & Security Features

• Anonymous Mode: Forms can be set to not collect any user data.
• One Response Per Device: Uses a browser-generated distinct hash stored in local storage and verified by RLS to prevent spam without requiring login.
• Secure Headers: Defaults to high-security standards (HSTS, No-Sniff) to protect users.

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Copyrights Deserved to only Praful Mohite