CoreTrace, a visual 16-bit CPU simulator
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I built a 16-bit CPU simulator that runs entirely in the browser.You can write assembly, run it, or step through it one instruction at a time while watching what happens inside the CPU.It shows the registers, memory, flags, ALU, buses, and datapath as the program executes.You can also set breakpoints, inspect execution cycles, replay previous cycles, and try some example programs.I built this because I wanted CPU architecture to feel more tangible. Reading about fetch, decode, registers, buses, and the ALU is one thing. Watching an instruction actually move through the CPU is much more interesting.Try it here:https://coretrace.srianjaneyam.me/This is my first Show HN, so I'd really appreciate feedback, especially from people interested in CPU architecture, emulators, or computer architecture education.
HN · launched Aug 13, 2026 · 5 upvotes (top 87%) · 0 views
Niche: scientific and system simulation software · 74 launches, 2 in the last 7 days · Explore this niche →
Category and tags
- Education
- Dev tools
- Prosumer
- Not AI
- Hobby / open-source project
Visit website ↗ Source listing ↗
More like this: all 74 launches in scientific and system simulation software →
Could you build this?
Yes An educational 16-bit CPU simulator in the browser consists of an instruction set emulator (fetch-decode-execute loop in JS/TS) and a visual React UI displaying register and memory states.
Discussion
2 comments analyzed.
Competitors mentioned: SAP-3 (8-bit CPU simulator)
Concerns raised: Poor web accessibility standards in text contrast, especially dark mode, Distracting cyberpunk bloom visual effects, Browser resize causes scaling issues
Feature requests: Add option to reduce or disable bloom effects, Improve subtext readability/contrast for program counter and instruction register
Competitors
Other products that read as similar to this one : 87 launches clear the similarity bar, closest 8 shown.
Attention rank: #77 of 88 (itself plus its competitors, highest first, normalized so YC and Product Hunt are compared fairly).
Launched 288 days after the earliest competitor.
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- Von Neumann Bottleneck · ph · 2026-09-18 · 1 upvotes · similarity 0.38
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- esp32-cpu-ram-gauges · github · 2026-10-07 · 10 upvotes · similarity 0.38
- I made some transistor animations · hn · 2026-07-24 · 212 upvotes · similarity 0.37
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