Ktor + htmx Showcase

Server-rendered interactivity

Build fast web screens without turning every page into a JavaScript app.

This sample uses Ktor for routing and HTML generation, then lets htmx progressively enhance navigation by swapping server-rendered fragments into the existing page shell.

What this page demonstrates

  • Shared layout served once from the root Ktor route
  • Component routes that return focused HTML fragments
  • htmx attributes for fetch, target, and browser history
  • Tests that lock down the navigation contract

01

Ktor owns the request

Routes stay small, typed, and testable while the server decides which HTML fragment to return.

02

htmx owns the interaction

Navigation, history, and targeted swaps happen through attributes instead of a client-side router.

03

Kotlin owns the markup

kotlinx.html keeps page structure close to application code with compiler-checked HTML builders.

How the request flow works

The browser gets useful HTML at every step. htmx improves the experience without hiding the server contract.

hx-target="#content"
  1. 1

    A user clicks a tab

    The link still has a normal href, so the page remains useful without custom JavaScript.

  2. 2

    htmx requests a component route

    hx-get calls endpoints like /components/projects and targets only the #content region.

  3. 3

    Ktor returns a server-rendered fragment

    The response is plain HTML, which makes rendering fast, debuggable, and easy to test.