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wtf is ca-dmv-plate-finder?

jonluca/ca-dmv-plate-finder — explained in plain English

Analysis updated 2026-07-09 · repo last pushed 2026-05-29

3TypeScriptAudience · vibe coderComplexity · 2/5MaintainedSetup · moderate

TL;DR

A tool that batch-checks your list of custom license plate ideas against the California DMV website, telling you which ones are available to claim.

Mindmap

mindmap
  root((repo))
    What it does
      Batch-checks custom plates
      Checks CA DMV website
      Reports available plates
    How it works
      Reads a text file list
      Auto-generates combinations
      Streams plates efficiently
    Use cases
      Find a brand-matching plate
      Check many ideas at once
      Hunt for specific plates
    Tech stack
      TypeScript
      Bun runtime
      Generator pattern
    Audience
      Car enthusiasts
      Business owners
      Vibe coders

Code map

Detail Auto

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filefunction / class

Why would anyone build with this?

REASON 1

Check dozens of custom plate ideas against the CA DMV at once.

REASON 2

Generate possible plate combinations automatically if you have no list.

REASON 3

Find a plate matching your brand or business name in California.

What's in the stack?

TypeScriptBun

How it stacks up

jonluca/ca-dmv-plate-finderarpitbhalla/ts-backendbrijeshmarch16/ai-interview
Stars333
LanguageTypeScriptTypeScriptTypeScript
Last pushed2026-05-292022-06-09
MaintenanceMaintainedDormant
Setup difficultymoderatemoderatemoderate
Complexity2/53/53/5
Audiencevibe coderdeveloperpm founder

Figures from each repo's GitHub metadata at analysis time.

How do you spin it up?

Difficulty · moderate Time to first run · 30min

Requires installing the Bun runtime and creating a text file of plate ideas to check.

Wtf does this do

CA DMV Plate Finder is a tool that checks the California DMV's website to see whether custom license plates you want are available. You give it a list of plate ideas, and it goes through them one by one, telling you which ones are free to claim. To use it, you create a simple text file listing the plates you're interested in, like "TESLA1" or "GITHUB", one per line. The script reads that file and checks each plate against the DMV's online system. If you don't provide a list, it can also generate combinations on its own, working through possible plates systematically. This is useful for anyone hunting for a good custom plate in California. Maybe you're a car enthusiast looking for a specific combination, or a business owner who wants plates matching your brand. Instead of typing each idea into the DMV website by hand and waiting for the results, you can let this tool batch-check dozens or hundreds of options in one go. The project is built in TypeScript and runs on Bun, which is a fast runtime for JavaScript. The code is designed around a generator pattern, meaning it can stream through plates efficiently rather than loading everything into memory at once. The README doesn't go into much detail on rate limiting or how the DMV's system handles automated requests, so users should be aware that hitting a government site with many rapid checks could raise concerns.

Yoink these prompts

Prompt 1
Write a Bun script in TypeScript that reads a text file of license plate ideas line by line and prints which ones are available.
Prompt 2
Create a TypeScript generator function that yields all possible license plate combinations up to 7 characters for batch checking.
Prompt 3
Build a CLI tool with Bun that takes a filename argument and checks each plate against an availability API, then outputs the available ones.

Frequently asked questions

wtf is ca-dmv-plate-finder?

A tool that batch-checks your list of custom license plate ideas against the California DMV website, telling you which ones are available to claim.

What language is ca-dmv-plate-finder written in?

Mainly TypeScript. The stack also includes TypeScript, Bun.

Is ca-dmv-plate-finder actively maintained?

Maintained — commit in last 6 months (last push 2026-05-29).

How hard is ca-dmv-plate-finder to set up?

Setup difficulty is rated moderate, with roughly 30min to a first successful run.

Who is ca-dmv-plate-finder for?

Mainly vibe coder.

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