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