Understanding Tina4 - Quick Reference

🔥 Hot Tips

• Tina4 is The Intelligent Native Application 4ramework: one package, zero config, convention over configuration
• Same API across Python, Node.js, PHP, and Ruby: learn one, know all four
• Routes in src/routes/, templates in src/templates/, ORM in src/orm/, static files in src/public/
• Zero runtime dependencies in every language

Philosophy • Installation • Project Structure • Choosing a Language • Environment

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Philosophy

Tina4 follows the AI framework philosophy. One package. One folder structure. Zero configuration files beyond a .env. You write your code, drop it in the right folder, and Tina4 discovers it.

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Installation

Choose your language:

Language	Scaffold	Run
Python	tina4 init python my-app	tina4 serve
Node.js	tina4 init nodejs my-app	tina4 serve
PHP	tina4 init php my-app	tina4 serve
Ruby	tina4 init ruby my-app	tina4 serve

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Project Structure

Every Tina4 project follows the same layout regardless of language:

project/
  .env                  # Environment configuration
  src/
    routes/             # API endpoints and page routes
    templates/          # Frond/Twig templates
    orm/                # Database models
    services/           # Background services
    migrations/         # Database migrations
  src/public/           # Static assets (CSS, JS, images)

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Choosing a Language

All four languages share the same conventions:

• Python - Best for data science, ML integration, rapid prototyping
• Node.js - Best for real-time apps, async I/O, one language across browser and server
• PHP - Best for broad hosting reach, JIT-compiled speed, mature library set
• Ruby - Best for developer happiness, clean syntax, rapid development

See Chapter 3: Choosing Your Language for a detailed comparison.

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Environment Variables

All configuration lives in a single .env file:

# Database
TINA4_DATABASE_URL=sqlite://app.db

# Server
PORT=7145
DEBUG=true

# Authentication
TINA4_SECRET=your-secret-key

See Chapter 4: Environment Variables for the full reference.

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📕 Download the book

Understanding Tina4 (PDF): full reference, printable, with clickable table of contents and PDF outline. Regenerated with every release.