About

We build from atoms and primitives.

The Name

Start with atoms. Compose structures. Let data guide the design. If that sounds familiar, it's because we named ourselves after Lisp's fundamental unit—and A List Apart.

Our name reflects this: we work at the foundational level, building primitives that compose into larger wholes. A cons apart from the crowd.

;; The cons cell
;; Two pointers: car and cdr
;; From these, all structures grow

(cons 'a nil)        ; => (a)
(cons 'a '(b))       ; => (a b)
(cons 'a '(b c))     ; => (a b c)

;; A list is just cons cells
;; linked together

(car '(a b c))       ; => a
(cdr '(a b c))       ; => (b c)

;; The name "cons" comes from
;; "construct"
;;
;; We construct software
;; one cell at a time

The Philosophy

The cons cell: nothing hidden, nothing magic. Just two pointers and a clear contract. Our software follows the same principle.

(defun philosophy ()
  '((simplicity   . "Remove until it breaks, then add one thing back")
    (composition  . "Small pieces that combine predictably")
    (transparency . "No magic, no hidden behavior")))

The Origin

A Cons Apart is founded on the belief that we can push software forward with pragmatic and simple designs.

We're not Luddites—we use modern tools when they serve us. But we question defaults, prefer understanding to convenience, and optimize for longevity over trends.

Each of our products reflects this ethos: do one thing, do it well.