What is Cooper?

Cooper is a backend framework for TypeScript with a Rust runtime. You write your services in TypeScript using Cooper's SDK. Underneath, a Rust binary handles HTTP serving, request routing, connection pooling, and infrastructure provisioning.

Why Cooper?

	Express/Fastify	Encore	Cooper
Language	TypeScript	TypeScript	TypeScript
Runtime	Node.js	Go	Rust
Local infra	Docker Compose	Built-in	Built-in
Deploy	DIY	Encore Cloud	Your cloud
Middleware	Flexible	Restricted	Flexible
Lock-in	None	Encore account	None

Cooper gives you Encore-level DX (declare your infra in code, one-command deploy) without the lock-in. Your app deploys to your own AWS/GCP/Azure/Fly account — no Cooper account needed.

How it works

  Your TypeScript Code
         │
         ▼
  ┌──────────────────────┐
  │  Cooper Runtime      │
  │  (Rust binary)       │
  │                      │
  │  • Hyper 1.x HTTP    │
  │  • Tokio async       │
  │  • JS Worker Pool    │
  │  • Static analysis   │
  └──────────────────────┘
         │
         ▼
  ┌──────────────────────┐
  │  Infrastructure      │
  │  Postgres │ NATS     │
  │  Valkey   │ S3       │
  └──────────────────────┘

1. You write api(), database(), topic(), etc. using the SDK
2. Cooper's Rust binary analyzes your TypeScript at startup — no runtime reflection
3. It starts embedded Postgres, NATS, and Valkey locally (no Docker)
4. HTTP requests are handled by Rust, dispatched to a pool of JS workers
5. On deploy, Cooper reads your declarations and provisions cloud resources

Key principles

• No magic — every API is an explicit function call
• No lock-in — deploys to your cloud, standard Postgres, standard everything
• No boilerplate — middleware, auth, validation are composable, not restrictive
• No Docker for dev — cooper run starts everything