Software studio in Brno, Czech Republic
We are a software studio in Brno. We build web applications and AI features, from the interface your users see to the APIs and databases behind it. We work in iterations, so you see progress as it happens.
Services
We build web applications, AI features, Shopify stores and custom software. Everything runs on React and Node.js, so the parts fit together.
01
We build the whole web application, from the React interface to the Node.js API and database. We also take over existing code and make it safe to change.
02
We add an assistant or an automated workflow built on language models to your product. Its tools run with the signed-in user's permissions, and the model gets only the context it needs for each step.
03
We build custom Shopify apps, discounts, checkout extensions and store themes. We move stores over from other platforms and connect orders to the systems behind them.
04
When an off-the-shelf product does not fit, we build software around the way you work. We start with what you need today and leave room for what comes next.
Experience
Examples of products we have worked on and the scope of our contribution. We don't name clients.
01
The analytics module of a 911 platform: large data tables with server-side aggregation and row virtualization, dashboards and map views. One page built end to end, from the Postgres and Databricks queries to the interface.
Stack
02
Full stack on Next.js, NestJS and PostgreSQL. We took over the AI assistant: its tools run as the signed-in user and load only when the model asks for them, which cut the fixed context per request by an estimated 60%. Also unit tests and CI for the web app.
Stack
03
Accessibility of the whole product to WCAG 2.1 AA, as part of a team of frontend engineers, with axe checks and visual tests in Playwright.
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04
Frontend architecture and guardrails for an MVP first built with AI. LLM image tagging and invoice extraction, built with one other developer.
Stack
05
Most of the application, backend included: an API on Fastify, Prisma and PostgreSQL, a Crawlee crawler, and checks routed by language to LanguageTool or GPT-4o-mini.
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06
Frontend and streaming chat interface for an LLM tool for attorneys. The foundation of the commissions app in a platform of nine Next.js apps.
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07
A new React frontend structure, code moved over in small steps, and end-to-end tests.
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08
Custom Shopify apps, Shopify Functions and checkout extensions, store migrations to Shopify, and order integrations in Django.
Stack
Process
We design the structure first and build the components after. We work in iterations, so you see finished parts along the way and can change direction.
01 root
We work out what the software should do, who it is for and how big it is. The result is a brief we both agree on.
02 structure
We design the structure of the application, the data model and the API. Everything built later rests on these decisions.
03 components
We build in small parts and show you what works after each iteration. The next step follows from what we learn.
04 render
We put the application into production and keep looking after it. Fixes and new features go through the same process.
Fig. 6 One tree at four stages of construction.
About
We founded Root Element in Brno in 2023. We are a software studio that builds web applications and custom software. The name comes from web development. The root element is the one element every other element on a page descends from. In HTML, it is <html>.
We focus on two technologies, React and Node.js. That means we write the frontend and the backend in the same language, and one team looks after the whole application. We work in iterations and show you finished parts as we go.
A growing share of our work is features built on language models: in-app assistants, data extraction and agents with limited permissions.