739: The LoFi Movement: Building Local First Apps

Join Wes and Scott as they explore LoFi (local first) web development, delving into CRDT, Websockets, IndexedDB, SQLite, and more. Discover when Local-First shines and when it’s better to steer clear in this episode packed with practical insights.

Show Notes

• 00:00 Welcome to Syntax!
• 03:18 Brought to you by Sentry.io.
• 04:08 What is LoFi?
• localfirst.dev
• 05:02 The Seven Ideals for Local-first.
  • 05:29 1: No Spinners.
  • 06:48 2: Your work is not trapped on one device.
  • 07:56 3: The network is optional.
  • 08:50 4: Seamless collaboration with your colleagues.
  • 09:35 Oops, we for got to read 5: The Long Now.
  • 09:37 6: Security and privacy by default.
  • 09:45 7: You retain ultimate ownership and control.
  • Actual Budget Finance App
  • Ink & Switch
• 13:01 Sounds great, let’s go! Not so fast, this stuff is hard.
• 14:07 The technology involved.
  • 14:30 CRDT (Conflict-free Replicated Data Types).
  • Wikipedia Definition
  • James Long dotJS 2019 dotconfrences
  • 17:48 How does it prioritize conflict resolutions?
  • 19:36 Websockets.
  • 20:17 IndexedDB + SQLite.
  • 21:23 Service Workers.
• 22:16 The software involved.
  • 22:24 Replicache.
  • 24:48 YJS.
  • 25:06 Electric SQL.
• 25:51 The most basic LoFi application.
• 31:26 Some bigger concepts.
• 32:34 Answering some common questions.
• 35:19 Some real-world examples of LoFi.
• Habit Path by Scott Tolinski
• 37:18 What about Apple PWA nonsense?
• 38:20 This seems similar to real-time software and multiplayer.
• 38:47 Sounds like too much work.
• Triplit Fullstack Database
• Electric SQL
• Evolu
• 40:46 Some useful links.
  • Local-First Web Development
  • Local-First Lo.fi YouTube
  • Local-First Ink & Switch
  • Local-First Reddit
  • Syntax GitHub Local-First
• 43:30 Sick Picks + Shameless Plugs.

Sick Picks

• Wes: Dresscode.dev

• Scott: Monarch Money

Hit us up on Socials!

Syntax: X Instagram Tiktok LinkedIn Threads

Wes: X Instagram Tiktok LinkedIn Threads

Scott:X Instagram Tiktok LinkedIn Threads

Randy: X Instagram YouTube Threads