Sync Different: Building Local-First Apps

Update: unfortunately James Chetwood is now unable to give his talk - Design GUI: Exploring CSS Variables. Instead we will be continuing with only Dave Pereira-Gurnell's talk - Sync Different: Building Local-First Apps.

On Thursday 5th September we will be joined by Dave Pereira-Gurnell - Developer/Trainer at Spacecat.

Does your web app work offline? What about supporting multiplayer editing? No? You’re not alone—these features are notoriously challenging to implement. Web development is already complex, and adding offline functionality or real-time collaboration is a step beyond what most of us are willing to try.

Yet, a new wave of web and mobile apps, like Linear, Figma, and Goodnotes, are managing to deliver these capabilities seamlessly. In this talk, we’ll explore how apps like these are built and how you can leverage similar strategies in your own projects.

We’re on the brink of a software development renaissance where building local-first apps—software that works offline but seamlessly syncs with the cloud—will become the norm. Dave will introduce you to powerful tools like Operational Transforms and Conflict-free Replicated Data Types (CRDTs) that make local-first development feasible, and show how they’re being packaged up into approachable open source tools. He'll back this up by walking you through a simple multiplayer editor using the open-source CRDT Automerge.

Pizzas provided by our venue! Runway East has been fighting boring offices since 2014. Members get team bliss guaranteed with space to scale. Learn more. Drinks will be provided by Silicon Brighton.

You will be able to join us in-person at Runway East or online.

In-person attendees: Please arrive at Runway East (ground floor) between 19:00 and 19:15 for refreshments and socializing. Make sure you are registered to attend so we have an idea of numbers for catering.

Remote attendees: We will start broadcasting the event at 19:30 on YouTube, there is no need to register.

Don't forget to join the Async Slack community for updates.