Local-first apps that work offline and sync every device.
Your app opens instantly, keeps working when the connection drops, and every device reaches the same result when it comes back.
The device holds the real copy.
In a local-first app, each device keeps a complete, encrypted copy of your data. Reading and writing happen on the device, so the app never waits for a server, and sync runs in the background.
- Offline by design. Not a read-only cache: people create, edit and delete while offline, and nothing is lost.
- Sync on the local network. Devices on the same Wi-Fi find each other and sync directly. No internet needed, no detour through a data centre.
- Sync over the internet. When devices are apart, changes travel end-to-end encrypted.
- Converges, never overwrites. Every device reaches the same result. When two people change the same thing in different ways, a person decides; nothing is silently discarded.
- No duplicates. Every change carries its own identifier, so a change sent twice is applied once.
Built from the data up.
- Model the data. We map your records and decide with you what counts as a real conflict.
- Write the rules once. The business rules are pure code, shared by every device, so every device decides the same way.
- Store it locally, encrypted. Each device keeps an encrypted database and a log of its changes.
- Sync and test. Sync over the local network and the internet, tested against simulated outages before your team relies on it.
The connection is not guaranteed.
- Your team works where the connection is slow or unreliable: shops, warehouses, workshops, sites, offices on a weak line.
- Several people edit the same records on different devices.
- An outage today means people stop working.
- Your data must not leave your premises unencrypted.
--- Questions
What does local-first mean?
The copy of the data on your device is the real one. The app reads and writes it directly, and the network is only how devices share their changes.
Do devices need the internet to sync?
No. Devices on the same local network find each other and sync directly. The internet is only needed to reach devices that are somewhere else.
What happens when two people edit the same record offline?
Changes to different fields merge on their own. If two people change the same field in different ways, the app shows both and a person chooses. Nothing is lost.
Can you add offline mode to an existing app?
Often, yes. We start with an audit and a written plan that says what has to change and what it costs.