RedwoodJS is a full-stack JavaScript framework with 17K+ GitHub stars, React + GraphQL + Prisma, opinionated project structure, and batteries-included authentication — but as an application framework it has no built-in WCAG accessibility audit, no Core Web Vitals scoring, and no post-deployment health monitoring. PageGuard audits the live deployed URL of any RedwoodJS application externally — free, no GraphQL access needed, results in 30 seconds.
ADA Title II Deadline: April 24, 2026
State and local government websites must meet WCAG 2.1 AA by April 24, 2026. RedwoodJS is used by startups, agencies, and developer-focused teams who value its opinionated full-stack structure. However, RedwoodJS generates React applications whose accessibility is entirely determined by how developers write components, forms, and routing — ARIA attributes in Cell loading/error states, keyboard operability of GraphQL-powered forms, color contrast in Tailwind classes, focus management in client-side navigation, and accessible error boundaries all require runtime verification that RedwoodJS does not provide. PageGuard audits your live Redwood application after each deployment, alerting you to accessibility regressions before the April 24 deadline.
| Feature | PageGuard | RedwoodJS |
|---|---|---|
| What is it? | External website health monitor — scans any URL for performance, accessibility, SEO, and best practices | Full-stack JavaScript framework built on React, GraphQL, and Prisma — opinionated project structure, Cell data-fetching pattern, Storybook integration, GraphQL API layer, Prisma ORM for PostgreSQL/SQLite, built-in auth, and deployment to Netlify/Vercel/Railway; 17K+ GitHub stars; created by Tom Preston-Werner (GitHub co-founder) |
| Free tier | ✓ Yes — unlimited one-off scans, no signup required | Free and open source (MIT license); no SaaS pricing — you host and pay for your own infrastructure (database, deployment platform, domain) |
| Accessibility audit (WCAG / ADA) | ✓ Yes — WCAG 2.1 AA scored 0–100 with specific issue list | No — RedwoodJS generates React applications but has no built-in WCAG or ADA accessibility auditing of the deployed output; accessibility depends on how React components, custom cells, and layouts are built |
| Technical SEO audit | ✓ Yes — meta tags, headings, canonical, structured data | No — RedwoodJS has no built-in SEO auditing; developers manually configure meta tags with @redwoodjs/web's Head component or react-helmet; no SEO quality scoring of deployed pages |
| Performance audit (Core Web Vitals) | ✓ Yes — LCP, CLS, FCP scored 0–100 per scan | No — RedwoodJS does not measure Core Web Vitals on deployed applications; React bundle size, GraphQL waterfall requests, and Suspense boundaries all impact LCP and CLS but require external auditing |
| Full-stack application framework | No — PageGuard is a monitoring tool, not an application development framework | ✓ Yes — RedwoodJS provides a complete full-stack development experience: React frontend with Cells, GraphQL API with SDL definitions, Prisma ORM for database access, built-in authentication (dbAuth, Auth0, Clerk, Supabase), and CLI scaffolding for pages, components, and services |
| GraphQL API layer | No — PageGuard is a standalone monitoring service | ✓ Yes — RedwoodJS generates a GraphQL API automatically from SDL type definitions and resolvers (services); the API and web sides are separate packages in a Yarn workspace monorepo structure |
| Automated website monitoring | ✓ Yes — weekly or daily scans with email alerts on score drop | No — RedwoodJS is an application framework; it has no post-deployment health monitoring, accessibility regression alerts, or uptime checking for the live application |
| AI-generated plain-English report | ✓ Yes — explains issues in non-technical language | No — no AI health report for the deployed production application |
| ADA Title II compliance monitoring | ✓ Yes — WCAG audit + alert on accessibility regression | No — RedwoodJS does not audit or alert on WCAG compliance; Storybook a11y addon helps during development but does not monitor the deployed production app |
| Works on any platform | ✓ Yes — scans any URL on any front-end or platform | No — RedwoodJS builds your own application only; it does not audit sites built on other platforms or frameworks |
| Independent external audit | ✓ Yes — third-party scan, shareable URL for clients/stakeholders | No — no built-in tool to generate a shareable external health report for a deployed RedwoodJS application |
| Instant on-demand scan | ✓ Yes — results in 30 seconds, no code changes needed | No — no on-demand health scan; external auditing of deployed RedwoodJS apps requires separate tools like Lighthouse or axe |
| Multi-site dashboard | ✓ Yes — 1–50 sites depending on plan | RedwoodJS builds individual applications; there is no health monitoring dashboard showing accessibility, SEO, and performance scores across multiple RedwoodJS deployments |
| Pricing for health monitoring | ✓ Free + from $9/mo for automated monitoring | Health monitoring not available — RedwoodJS is a full-stack application framework, not a website health monitoring tool |
Get the WCAG accessibility score and Core Web Vitals that RedwoodJS doesn’t provide for your deployed application. Results in 30 seconds. No database credentials, API keys, or Redwood CLI installation required.
Results in ~30 seconds. 4 scores: Performance, Accessibility, SEO, Best Practices.
Yes — PageGuard scans the live deployed URL of any RedwoodJS application hosted on Netlify, Vercel, Railway, or Render. Enter the public URL and receive a full health report in ~30 seconds covering Core Web Vitals, WCAG 2.1 AA accessibility, technical SEO, and best practices. No GraphQL credentials, database access, or Redwood CLI installation is required.
No — RedwoodJS generates React applications but does not audit WCAG compliance of the deployed output. Storybook’s a11y addon can flag issues during component development, but it does not monitor the production application. ARIA attributes in Cell states, keyboard operability of GraphQL-powered forms, color contrast in Tailwind CSS, and focus management in client-side routing all require runtime verification that RedwoodJS does not provide. PageGuard audits your live Redwood app and provides a WCAG 2.1 AA score with specific issues to fix.
RedwoodJS handles the application layer: React + GraphQL development, Prisma database access, authentication, and CLI-driven scaffolding. PageGuard audits the production layer: (1) WCAG/ADA accessibility of the rendered React output your Cells and components produce, (2) Core Web Vitals performance (LCP, CLS, FCP) of the deployed app including GraphQL data loading impact, (3) technical SEO quality including Head meta tags, and (4) automated monitoring with email alerts when code changes introduce regressions — from $9/mo.
No — they serve completely different purposes. RedwoodJS is a full-stack JavaScript framework for building React + GraphQL applications with Prisma and opinionated conventions. PageGuard is an external quality monitoring tool for your deployed front-end. Teams building Redwood applications should use both: RedwoodJS to build and deploy the application, PageGuard to verify the production app meets accessibility compliance and performance standards after every deployment.