Show HN: VectorNest responsive web-based SVG editor

ekrsulov.github.io

46 points by ekrsulov 4 hours ago

I’ve just released VectorNest — an open-source, browser-based SVG editor.

If you have an SVG and need quick edits (paths, alignment, small fixes, animations, LLM assistance) without installing software, this is for you.

Try the demo: https://ekrsulov.github.io/vectornest/ GitHub repo: https://github.com/ekrsulov/vectornest

Feedback, issues and contributions are welcome.

jarek-foksa - 6 minutes ago

How much time did it take you to build it? For the past several years I have been working full on an SVG editor myself (https://boxy-svg.com) and I get a bit anxious when I see what LLMs are capable of nowadays.

israrkhan - an hour ago

I liked the simplistic UI, but it is not quite ready for serious use.

I tried using it on a simple svg that i had (around 1KB, just few simple lines and shapes). But it did not rendered them properly. Colors were off (black-box instead of original colors), and in one place it was showing at triangle instead of an L shaped line.

Also when I move an object, a single Cmd+Z wont undo the action. Have to repeat twice for object to go back (I am using Chrome on macbook)

ekrsulov - 23 minutes ago

Thank you — this is exactly the kind of feedback I’m looking for. If you’re able to share the SVG that caused the issue, I’d love to take a look and reproduce the problem.
The undo behavior you described is a known issue — some interactions currently require multiple undo steps, and I’ll be looking for a proper solution in the medium term. Really appreciate you taking the time to test and report this.

itintheory - 40 minutes ago

You might consider adding a modal when closing the window with unsaved changes?

ekrsulov - 27 minutes ago

Good point — and thank you for the suggestion! In this case it’s actually not necessary because the entire workspace is automatically persisted in local storage, so everything is restored when you reopen the app.

sureglymop - 2 hours ago

This is awesome! One piece of feedback: on my gesture controlled phone the bottom menu is a bit too low, low enough to overlap with the "gesture bar" at the bottom.

ekrsulov - 2 hours ago

Thank you for the feedback! I’ve created an issue in the repository to investigate this further.
If you’re able to share a bit more detail (device model, OS version, browser, and whether you’re using gesture navigation), that would really help me reproduce the behavior and validate a proper fix.
Really appreciate you taking the time to report it.

blorenz - 3 hours ago

Great potential here! I like the easy and friendliness of the tools to use. It would be nice to weld paths. I find myself having to clean up disjointed paths in svgs from time to time. Shapebuilding operations would be incredible, too. Great work!

ekrsulov - 2 hours ago

Thank you! Advanced shape building tools are already available in the third button of the bottom menu (Advanced Tools), and it also includes Trim Path. Boolean operations are implemented as well. I’ll add proper path welding/union to the roadmap. Cleaning messy SVG paths is one of the core problems VectorNest wants to solve, so this feedback is super valuable. Really appreciate you trying it!

lastdong - 2 hours ago

Well done, love the minimal UI. The menus are familiar in any case just tucked away for better drawing experience.

ekrsulov - 2 hours ago

Thank you! That was exactly the idea — keep the UI out of the way so the canvas gets the focus, while still keeping familiar tools accessible when needed. Really glad it felt natural to use.

elliottboxx - 2 hours ago

this is so great! thanks for sharing.

any thoughts on what you are going to do next with it? leave as-is or keep adding features?

can you explain the reasoning behind the plugin system a bit more - is it a pattern you came up with or is it based on an existing plugin architecture?

can you add a License to the github?

ekrsulov - 2 hours ago

Thank you! This is definitely an initial version and I hope to keep evolving it with more features over time.
The plugin-centered architecture comes from how the project was built: a large part of the development was done with AI agents (Copilot, Claude, Codex, Antigravity, etc.). To reduce the risk of new features breaking existing functionality, a strong approach was to keep a stable core and implement capabilities as plugins. The project also has many Playwright end-to-end tests that help catch regressions when something fails.
And yes — I’ll review options and add an appropriate license to the GitHub repo soon.

basch - 3 hours ago

worked well in my quick test. very minimalist menus have a bit of a learning curve for me.

for anyone looking for something similar with a more familiar interface https://www.vectorpea.com/

ekrsulov - 2 hours ago

Thanks for testing it! The minimal UI is intentional, but I totally get the learning curve comment — it’s something I want to keep improving. Vectorpea is great and definitely more familiar for many users. My goal with VectorNest is a lightweight, install-free editor focused on quick SVG fixes and workflows. Appreciate the comparison.