I built a browser-based viewer for KiCad projects on GitHub — feedback welcome
Hey,
I spent the last year on a side project I think this community might find useful: cadpreview.com, a browser-based viewer for KiCad projects hosted on GitHub.
The idea came from a gap I kept running into: KiCad is genuinely capable, but it's a desktop tool, so anyone who isn't running it (firmware engineers checking a pinout, supply chain cross-referencing a BOM, a client wanting to see progress) is locked out unless someone exports a PDF. Connect a repo once and they get a live view of the schematic, PCB layout, BOM, and revision history instead.
What it does:
- Schematic and PCB viewer, pan/zoom, no KiCad install needed
- Live BOM with datasheet links, generated from the actual schematic
- Full revision history and branch browsing (open any tag or branch, not just main)
- Annotation tools for design reviews
- Shareable project links, no account needed for viewers
- Works with public and private repos
Also handy for your own projects: opening a browser tab is a lot faster than launching KiCad if you just want to check what value you used for something six months ago.
KiCad's come a long way, and I think it holds up well against tools costing thousands per seat for most real-world hardware work. Would genuinely value this community's take, including the critical kind.
