The State of Local-First Technology and Its Key Players
A user requested a summary of the current state of local-first technology and an identification of the key players in the ecosystem. This post will provide an overview of the local-first paradigm, its core principles, and a survey of the companies and projects that are leading its development.
What is Local-First?
Local-first is a set of principles for software development that prioritizes storing a user's data on their local device, rather than on a remote server. This approach offers several advantages, including improved performance, offline functionality, and greater user control over their data. In a local-first application, the primary copy of the data resides on the user's device, and servers are used as secondary copies for backup and multi-device synchronization.
The 7 ideals of local-first software, as defined by Ink & Switch, are:
- Fast: Near-instantaneous response to user input.
- Multi-Device: Data is synchronized across all of a user's devices.
- Offline: The ability to read and write data at any time, even while offline.
- Collaboration: Support for real-time collaboration.
- Longevity: A user's data should be accessible indefinitely.
- Privacy: Use of end-to-end encryption.
- User Control: No company should be able to restrict what a user can do with their software.
Key Players and Projects
The local-first ecosystem is growing, with several key players and projects driving innovation:
- Ink & Switch: A research lab that published the original "local-first" manifesto.
- PowerSync: A sync engine for mobile and web apps that works with existing databases like PostgreSQL and SQLite.
- ElectricSQL: A service that syncs Postgres data into local apps with offline support.
- WatermelonDB: A high-performance reactive database for React and React Native.
- Fireproof: A browser-native database for local-first applications.
- Evolu: A type-safe offline-first database with sync capabilities.
- Dexie.js: An IndexedDB wrapper with sync capabilities.
- Automerge & Yjs: CRDT (Conflict-free Replicated Data Types) libraries that enable real-time collaboration.
Real-World Examples
Several well-known applications have adopted local-first principles to enhance their user experience:
- Figma: The collaborative design tool uses a local-first architecture to provide a seamless multiplayer experience.
- Notion: The all-in-one workspace uses a WASM SQLite implementation to speed up its browser application.
- Trello: The project management tool has implemented an offline architecture to ensure users can continue working without an internet connection.
- Actual Budget: A local-first budgeting application.
- Excalidraw: A collaborative drawing application.
The local-first movement represents a significant shift in how we build software, prioritizing user experience and data ownership. As the technology matures and tooling improves, we can expect to see wider adoption of these principles across the software industry.
