Reast Platform
Reast (rea.st) is a web platform for reading and creating interactive stories written in the Rea language. It's the hosted service built on top of the Reast Engine — the platform adds accounts, publishing, a catalog, cooperative reading infrastructure, and a built-in editor around what the engine alone only renders.
At a glance, the platform lets a reader browse a public catalog and read stories in-browser, with or without an account, and lets an author write a story (in the built-in editor or any text editor), attach media and metadata, and publish it at one of three visibility tiers — public (listed in the catalog), unlisted (reachable only by direct link), or private (visible only to the author) — into personal shelves and reading groups that both readers and authors use to organize and share stories.
Every story an author publishes through the platform — whether written in the built-in editor or uploaded from a text editor — is stored and served as a .reast package; see the engine's package format reference for what's inside one.
For Readers
- Browse stories — Discover interactive narratives by genre, language, or popularity
- Read anywhere — Works in any browser, on any device, even offline
- Make choices — Your decisions shape the story's outcome
- Track progress — Reading position is saved automatically
- Personal library — Bookmark favourites, take notes, rate stories
- Groups — Join reader communities around shared interests
For Authors
- Write in Rea — Simple markup language for branching narratives
- Built-in editor — Write, preview, and test stories directly in the browser
- Builder tool — Visual story structure editor for complex narratives
- Publish instantly — Share your work with the community
- Author page — Customisable profile showcasing your published works
- Analytics — See how readers engage with your stories
Platform Features
- No login required for reading — Browse and read public stories without creating an account
- Full offline support — Downloaded stories work without internet
- Multiple languages — Interface available in 30+ languages
- Accessibility — Keyboard navigation, screen reader support, high-contrast themes
- Privacy-first — Minimal data collection, transparent policies
Getting Help
- For Readers — Browsing, reading, progress, and the reader FAQ
- For Authors — Publishing flow, visibility tiers, and the editor
- Story Design — How to structure and package a story
- Rea Language Specification — Learn the Rea language itself
- Engine Documentation — Embed stories on your own website
- Contributing — Help improve the Reast engine