February 7, 2026
Grandma ERP or Show HN speedrun?
Show HN: Craftplan – Elixir-based micro-ERP for small-scale manufacturers
Craftplan drops for small workshops; HN yells “third post?”
TLDR: Craftplan is an open-source tool to help small makers manage inventory, orders, and production in one place. Commenters blasted repeated posting while Elixir fans praised the tech, turning the thread into a showdown over self‑promotion etiquette versus excitement for a maker‑friendly all‑in‑one app.
Craftplan promises to be the all‑in‑one brain for tiny workshops: an open‑source “micro‑ERP” (think: a single app to juggle materials, orders, schedules, and invoices) powered by Elixir. There’s even a demo login splashed on the page and a quick self‑hosting guide to spin it up. But the real show is the comment pit. One user snapped, “How many times are you going to submit this… at least the third,” kicking off a classic Hacker News courtroom about self‑promotion etiquette. Another piled on with pure roast energy: “this time you made it for your grandma, boyfriend, or what?” and boom — the Grandma ERP meme was born.
Meanwhile, Elixir die‑hards swooped in to defend the tech stack. A dev bragged about “vibe‑coding” with Elixir and the Ash framework, calling it “insanely good” and praising how easily you can poke around a live system. So the thread split: half rolling eyes at a perceived Show HN speedrun, half hyped about a slick tool for makers who hate juggling five different apps. For non‑tech folks, Craftplan’s pitch is simple: manage your catalog, track inventory, batch production, buy from suppliers, and keep customer records — all in one place. The debate isn’t just “Is it useful?” but “Is it fair play to keep reposting until it sticks?”
Key Points
- •Craftplan is an open-source micro-ERP for artisanal and small-scale manufacturers.
- •It consolidates catalog, inventory, orders, production planning/batching, purchasing, and CRM into one platform.
- •Features include versioned BOMs, labor steps, cost rollups, pricing guidance, and detailed inventory tracking.
- •A weekly production planner and batching workflow provide schedules, materials, make sheets, and cost snapshots.
- •Self-hosting is supported with Git, OpenSSL, and Docker Compose; the stack uses Elixir, Ash Framework, and Phoenix LiveView.