2025.08.14

Linear sent me down a local-first rabbit hole

"In most instances the concept is beautifully simple: instead of your app being a fancy form that sends data to a server, it has it’s own local database. Sometimes the server is just another client to sync with. It can be a fundamental inversion of how we typically build web applications." See also HN discussion

Local-First Conf 2025 workshop videos

Workshop videos from this year's Local-First Conf have been posted.

Rewriting SQLite from scratch (yes, really)

"In this episode of Database School, I chat with Glauber Costa, CEO of Turso, about their audacious decision to rewrite SQLite from the ground up. We cover the technical motivations, open contribution philosophy, and how deterministic simulation testing is unlocking new levels of reliability."

Think Local First is Obsolete? That’s Exactly What They Want You to Think

"They want you to believe local first equals obsolete. That offline equals disconnected. That if you’re not plugged into the cloud, you’re falling behind. That’s the lie. The truth? Local first is control. And control is the only thing that keeps your work yours."

Why Build Local-First Apps

"Local-first means your data stays on your computer. It means the app works without phoning home. It means performance, privacy, and longevity are the priorities — not maximizing subscription revenue or mining your habits."

"Building truly private social applications isn't just about adding encryption - it's about rethinking how we build social spaces. By combining Nostr's decentralized protocol with MLS's efficient group encryption, we can create social apps that are both private and practical."

🛠️ Tools & Resources

How I Built Local-First Apps with React Native + RxDB (and Why Your App Probably Needs This Too)

"A bunch of our clients hit these connectivity potholes — remote job sites, offsite events, warehouse floors, logistics hubs. Basically, anywhere Wi-Fi goes to die. The fix? Local-first apps: process data locally, sync it when you can."

ChEffect – A Local-First Meal Planning App written w/ Effect & LiveStore (PART 1)

"TIm's been wanting to try LiveStore, so we decided to [build] a local-first meal planning app"

TanStack DB In 15 Minutes! ORM or State Manager?

"TanStack DB [is] a state management model based on synced collections and these fast live SQL-style queries of those collections"

I Want Everything Local — Building My Offline AI Workspace

"With so many LLMs being open source / open weights, shouldn't it be possible to do all that locally? But just local LLM is not enough, we need a truely isolated environment to run code as well." See also HN discussion

✨ Apps

CalfitPro

"No accounts, no cloud, just local-first tools that make logging simple and insightful."

GoSuki

"GoSuki is an extension-free, self-contained, real time bookmark tracker and organizer with multi-device sync capability"

How to Contribute

Anyone can contribute to Local-First News with a pull request. Instructions and guidelines available here.