Local-first Software

So, you want to build an app that has its data co-located with its UI? That works offline? That synchronizes between clients? And that lets its users own their data? Welcome to the world of local-first web development.

1. Learn

Things to read

Local-first software: you own your data, in spite of the cloud Ink & Switch
Building data-centric apps with a reactive relational database Riffle
Developing local-first software James Arthur
What if we had local-first software? @adlrocha
Closing the gap between your users and their data James Pearce
In search of a local-first database Jared Forsyth
End-to-End Encryption in the Browser vjeux
Designing Data Structures for Collaborative Apps Matthew Weidner
A Gentle Introduction to CRDTs Matt Wonlaw
Some notes on local-first development @kylemathews
List CRDT Benchmarks Vadim @streamich Dalecky

Things to watch

Local-first software Peter van Hardenberg
Introduction to local-first applications Mycelial
CRDTs for mortals James Long
CRDTs: the hard parts Martin Kleppmann
AWS reInvent 2019: Data Driven Mobile & Web Apps Richard Threlkeld
Holistic Approach to Local-First Software Mauve Signweaver
Local-first app development Johannes Schickling
localfirst.fm: podcast about local-first software development Johannes Schickling

2. Build

Storing data

Dexie.js David Fahlander
DXOS dxos.org
Dat Stack hyper- core/bee/store/drive (by dat-ecosystem)
ElectricSQL ElectricSQL team
Evolu Daniel Steigerwald
Liveblocks Liveblocks team
Fireproof Fireproof team
Gun Mark Nadal
Instant Stepan Parunashvili
m-ld George Svarovsky et al.
NextGraph Niko Bonnieure
PouchDB PouchDB contributors
remoteStorage remoteStorage contributors
RxDB Daniel Meyer
SignalDB Max Nowack
Socket Runtime Socket Runtime Team
SyncedStore Yousef El-Dardiry
TinyBase James Pearce
Triplit Aspen Cloud
Verdant Grant Forrest
VLCN Matt Wonlaw
WatermelonDB Radek Pietruszewski / Nozbe
Trystero Dan Motzenbecker / Dmotz

Syncing data

Jazz Tools Anselm / Garden Computing
Amplify DataStore Amazon Web Services
Automerge Ink & Switch and contributors
Collabs Composable Systems Lab @ CMU
CouchDB apache couchdb team
Dexie Cloud Awarica AB
Ditto Ditto Live, Inc
DXOS dxos.org
Dat Stack hyper- swarm/dht & autobase (by dat-ecosystem)
hocuspocus ueberdosis
Jamsocket Jamsocket team
Liveblocks Storage Liveblocks team
Liveblocks Yjs Liveblocks team
Logux Andrey Sitnik
Loro Loro
m-ld George Svarovsky et al.
NextGraph Niko Bonnieure
PowerSync JourneyApps
Replicache Rocicorp
Sockethub Nick Jennings
TinyBase James Pearce
Verdant Grant Forrest
VLCN Matt Wonlaw
Yjs Kevin Jahns & contributors
Y-Sweet Jamsocket team
Trystero Dan Motzenbecker / Dmotz
Legend State Jay Meistrich
Zero Rocicorp

Examples

CRDT tutorials James Addison
CRDT example app James Long
TinyRooms James Pearce
XR Fragments Leon van Kammen / coderofsalvation

3. Join in

Folks to follow

Peter van Hardenberg @pvh
Johannes Schickling @schickling
Geoffrey Litt @geoffreylitt
Yonz @devYonz
Matt Wonlaw @tantaman
James Pearce @jamespearce
Grant Forrest @gaforres
James Addison @JungleSilicon
Mauve Signweaver @RangerMauve
Jess Martin @jessmartin
James Arthur @thruflo
Aaron Boodman @aboodman
Coderofsalvation @coderofsalvation
Jay Meistrich @jmeistrich

Communities to join

#LoFi.so Discord Local First Software Builders
Braid IETF & members
This page on Hacker News @bubblehack3r

Apps to try

Actual James Long & contributors
Agregore Browser Mauve Signweaver & contributors
Bangle.io Kushan Joshi
DXOS Composer dxos.org
Excalidraw Excalidraw contributors
Gnocchi.club Grant Forrest
Obsidian Dyynalist inc
Strut.io Strut contributors
Textorama João Melo
Tender Tender team
Legend Jay Meistrich