Show HN Launches Screensaver
The Show HN Launches screensaver shows projects people are launching on Hacker News right now, read key-less from the Algolia HN API. Distinct from the site's Hacker News saver, which shows the front page rather than launches. It's free, runs in your browser, and ESC exits.
Live preview
Press ESC to leave fullscreen. Settings are saved in your browser only.
How the Show HN Launches screensaver works
The saver reads the Algolia Hacker News API directly in your browser — no key and no account.
Projects people are launching on Hacker News right now, read key-less from the Algolia HN API.
It refreshes on a schedule, so what you see stays current.
Colours can be changed in settings; nothing is stored beyond your own browser.
What Show HN means on Hacker News
Hacker News is a link-sharing and discussion site run by Y Combinator, and its community has a convention: a post whose title begins with Show HN is something the author made and invites people to try. The Show HN guidelines say it should be a project people can run on a computer or physically hold, non-trivial work the author built and can discuss, and that authors should be available in the thread. Blog posts, newsletters, sign-up pages, landing pages and routine release announcements do not qualify.
This saver queries the Hacker News search service built by Algolia and lists recent Show HN submissions with their points and comment counts. Points reflect upvotes and comments reflect discussion, so a launch with many comments but few points may have sparked debate rather than praise. Early-stage and unpolished projects are explicitly welcome, so the range runs from side projects to open source tools and small apps.
Visibility is uneven. Timing, title wording and chance all play a part, and a high score signals interest among a particular, developer-heavy audience rather than quality. The guidelines also ask readers to flag spam and off-topic stories, so some submissions may later disappear from the list.
A worked example
Projects people are launching on Hacker News right now, read key-less from the Algolia HN API. Distinct from the site's Hacker News saver, which shows the front page rather than launches.
Settings & tips
- Accent and Background recolour the display.
- Data comes straight from the Algolia Hacker News API in your browser.
- Press ESC to leave fullscreen.
Frequently asked questions
- Is this real data?
- Yes — it comes from the Algolia Hacker News API and is refreshed on a schedule.
- Is a key needed?
- No. This source is fully key-less.
- Is it free?
- Yes — free, no download, in your browser.
- What is the difference between Ask HN and Show HN?
- Ask HN poses a question to the community, while Show HN presents something you made for others to try.
- Does a high score mean a project is good?
- It means it resonated with Hacker News readers at that time. Timing and title influence it heavily.
- What counts as a Show HN?
- Something people can try, such as a project they can run, that the author built and can discuss. Blog posts, newsletters, sign-up pages and landing pages should be submitted as regular stories.