Memex Web

Build with Memex from your browser, from anywhere.

Memex Web is a version of Memex that runs in your browser on a virtual machine (VM), instead of running directly on your desktop.

It’s designed to be the best place to build data apps: a fast, delightful workflow for creating interactive apps with an integrated preview and one-click publishing.

Today, Memex Web supports two tech stacks: Streamlit + Python (the default) and HTML + Python (FastAPI). Both are optimized for building data apps—from internal dashboards and KPI explorers to lightweight tools, workflows, and interactive reports.

How Memex Web works

In Memex Web, your project runs in a cloud VM:

• Memex writes and runs code inside that VM (not on your local machine)

• You still own everything you create

• You can download your project files to your computer at any time

The benefit: you get a consistent environment that “just works” from any device. You can start a project on one computer, pick it back up from another, and keep building without worrying about local installs, dependencies, or machine-specific setup.

What’s different vs. Memex Desktop

1. Runs completely online (not on your computer)

Memex Web uses cloud compute to code and run files, rather than your local machine.

You still own your code. At any point, you can download the project to your computer and keep working locally.

The benefit: it lets you work from anywhere. Open Memex Web in any browser (including on mobile), log in, and you’ll have access to your projects immediately—no installs, no local setup, no “wrong computer” problem.

Work with Connectors and Files

You can connect to alld your data and upload data files and work with them from anywhere. Select which ones to work with by using @ and selecting them from the modal.

Adding Connectors

Connectors allow you to securely link external data sources to Memex. Once connected, Memex can access and query your data contextually across all your conversations—no need to manually copy data or explain your database structure each time.

Add them directly in the Home Page from the "+" button, or in the Memex Hub

Uploading Files

You can also upload files from your computer. Like Connectors, they are "upload once, use as many times as needed"

2. Preview Pane

Memex Web includes a preview pane on the right-hand side. When Memex recognizes you’re building something that should be previewed (like an interactive app), it will automatically open and keep it updated.

The benefit: you stay in flow. Instead of switching between terminal output, localhost URLs, and browser tabs, you see the result right next to your conversation—so iteration is faster and you spend less time debugging “where is it running?”. No more hunting for localhost URLs.

3. One-click Publish

Memex Web includes one-click deploy.

To publish, click the blue Publish button in the top-right corner. Memex will generate a shareable link so anyone can view your deployed app.

The benefit: Memex takes care of the infrastructure for you—deployment, hosting, and making the app accessible to others—without you needing to fiddle with complex deployment flows. You can go from “working prototype” to “shareable app” in minutes.

What it does:

• Deploys your current project to a shareable URL

• Makes the app accessible to anyone with the link

• Handles the underlying hosting and deployment infrastructure

How to use:

1. Click Publish (top right)

2. Wait for the deployment to complete

3. Copy the shareable link

4. Once you have a published app, you can click Update to push the latest version

You can see which projects have a published app from the Projects page. They'll show with a green indicator with the URL, and you can filter them by using the "Live" tag. Clicking on the URL opens the app.

App Access Control

When publishing your app, you can choose who can access it:

Public Apps

• Select "Anyone on the internet" in the Visibility dropdown

• Your app will be accessible to anyone with the URL

• No sign-in required for visitors

Private Apps

• Select "Only people invited" in the Visibility dropdown

• Only users you explicitly invite can access your app

• Invite people by entering their email address in the "Who can access" section

How private app authentication works:

When someone visits your private app:

1. If they're not signed in, they'll be redirected to the Memex sign-in page

2. The sign-in page shows your app's name, icon, and your name as the owner

3. They can sign in with Google or request an email magic link

4. After signing in, they're automatically redirected back to your app

This unified sign-in experience means visitors use the same authentication as the main Memex website. If they're already signed in to Memex, they'll have seamless access to any private apps they've been invited to.

What visitors see:

• If invited: After signing in, they can use your app normally

• If not invited: They'll see an "Access Restricted" page explaining they don't have permission

• If the app is stopped: They'll see a friendly "App Temporarily Unavailable" page with your app's icon and info, rather than a technical error message

Note: Private apps require a paid plan. On the Build plan, you can invite a limited number of viewers. Upgrade to Scale for unlimited invitations and team sharing.

4. Tech Stack Selection

When you create a new project in Memex Web, you can choose between two tech stacks:

Streamlit + Python

This is the default stack, optimized for data apps. It's an excellent foundation because it's fast to iterate, great for interactive UIs, and powerful enough to support a lot of "real app" behavior behind the scenes—data transformations, API calls, business logic, authentication patterns, caching, and more.

Best for:

• Dashboards and KPI explorers

• Data visualizations and charts

• Interactive data tools with widgets (sliders, dropdowns, etc.)

• Quick prototypes that need a polished UI fast

Key features:

• Built-in UI components (buttons, charts, tables, forms)

• Automatic state management and caching

• Native data connector integrations

HTML + Python (FastAPI)

This stack gives you more control over your frontend while still using Python for the backend. It uses FastAPI for the API layer and serves static HTML/CSS/JavaScript files.

Best for:

• Custom-designed interfaces that need pixel-perfect control

• API-first applications where you want full control over the frontend

• Projects that need specific JavaScript libraries or frameworks

• Apps with custom styling requirements

Key features:

• Full control over HTML, CSS, and JavaScript

• FastAPI backend for building custom APIs

• Flexible architecture for more complex applications

How to Select a Tech Stack

When you click "New Project," you'll see the tech stack selector in the project creation modal:

1. Click New Project

2. Choose Streamlit or HTML + Python

3. Enter your project name

4. Click Create Project

Your choice is remembered for future projects, so the last stack you selected will be pre-selected next time.

Preview and Deployment Behavior

Both stacks work seamlessly with Memex Web's preview pane and one-click publish:

• Preview: Your app automatically appears in the preview pane as you build, regardless of which stack you choose

• Publish: Both stacks support one-click deployment to a shareable URL

If you start building something that Memex Web doesn't support, Memex will prompt you to sync the project down to the desktop version so you can continue there with full flexibility.

Some notes

Memex Web is the first version of our web experience. A few important details to know up front:

1. Sync is one-way (Web → Desktop)

Right now, you can sync projects down from Memex Web to the desktop app.

There is currently no support to sync projects up from desktop to web.

Memex Web is the best place to start fresh projects quickly, and when you hit something that requires the desktop app, you can move down without losing momentum.

Recommendation: Start new projects in Memex Web, and move to desktop if you need it.

2. Memex Web is focused on data apps

The current Memex Web experience is optimized for what we call data apps. You can choose between Streamlit + Python or HTML + Python (FastAPI) when creating a project.

With these stacks you can build a surprisingly wide variety of experiences that still fall under data apps, like:

• Internal dashboards and KPI explorers

• Interactive reports and client-facing portals

• Data validation tools and lightweight admin panels

• CSV upload → transform → export workflows

• Simple CRUD-style tools (where it makes sense)

• Prototypes for data-heavy product experiences

The benefit: you get a streamlined, end-to-end experience that’s tuned for building and sharing interactive data apps quickly: build in the chat, see it in the preview pane, publish with one click.

Suggested workflow

1. Start a new project in Memex Web

2. Iterate quickly with the auto preview pane

3. Share progress using Publish

4. If you hit stack limitations, sync to desktop and continue there

FAQ

Do I own the files Memex creates in Memex Web?

Yes. You own the project files you create, and you can download them at any time.

Can I move a project from Web to Desktop?

Yes—Memex Web supports syncing projects down to the desktop app.

Can I move a project from Desktop to Web?

Not yet. During the preview, syncing is one-way (Web → Desktop).

What stacks work best in Memex Web today?

Memex Web is currently focused on data apps. You can choose between Streamlit + Python (for quick interactive UIs) or HTML + Python with FastAPI (for more custom frontends).

Next steps

• Start a new project in Memex Web

• Read: What is a data app, really?

• If you need full-stack flexibility, install the desktop app and sync your project down