GitHub Spark ✨ isn't even trying to steal your job - 3 Real Examples

Spark is the latest creation from the GitHub Next team, which was announced on stage at GitHub Universe a couple of weeks ago.

It’s a tool that enables everyone, not only developers, to create micro-applications solving a specific need.

There are many existing tools solving generic problems and if you bend them enough they might also include your use case, but you still have other features you don’t need and probably a UX designed for a more generalistic app.

The advantage of Spark is that by focusing on one problem only (or just the few you need to solve) you can shape it exactly as you see fit and you can do that even with little development knowledge since the goal is not the code, but the value you get from the finished tool.

I had a look at three different sparks and recorded a video, you can watch it here:

Mermaid Diagram Designer

This micro-app allows users to generate and modify Mermaid diagrams with Natural Language prompts, having the markdown and a preview side by side.

From that, you’re free to refine the output, but most of the heavy work can indeed be done with the prompts.

Nice to have, who created this spark also requested to generate a history of the changes, so you can track them and go back if needed.

The generated Mermaid code can be easily copied into GitHub, which renders the diagram nicely in issues, pull requests, comments… everywhere!

Data Generator

This application generates fake data for accounts, useful for developers or QA testers needing placeholder data.

You don’t need an account generator? Let’s take a step back and look at the bigger picture, you can create a spark with instructions defining specifically your needs and easily have a tool that generates the data you need.

This spark didn’t have a handy copy button for the JSON output, I tried to add it in the video.

Hexagonal Minesweeper

A fun example of using GitHub Spark to create a small game, specifically a hexagonal version of Minesweeper.

The user can decide how big the field is and play the game.

This demonstrates how GitHub Spark enables everyone, not just developers, to build interactive applications like small games. Imagine your kids creating their own games!

Try it yourself

GitHub Spark is still in the Technical Preview stage, but you can learn more here and request access by joining the waitlist here.

Do you have some cool ideas for a spark? Share them in the comments below or join the GitHub Spark Discord to discuss them with the community and the GitHub Next team.