Advantages and disadvantages of building offline first app
Internet connectivity has become increasingly widespread, and creating applications that rely solely on online connectivity has become the norm. However, there are scenarios where offline applications can offer distinct advantages in that the application works without an Internet connection, and data is synced as soon as a network connection is available.
‘Offline-first’ is a development approach that ensures an app will work as well offline as it does online.
Advantages of Building an Offline-First App:
Always Available — Users can access essential app functionality even when offline. This improves reliability and uptime.
Performance — data are served from the cache instead of over the network, resulting in faster load times on subsequent usage.
Offline Sync — Changes made offline are seamlessly synced when the connection returns to avoid data loss.
Recommended tools and frameworks for developing offline-first apps
Couchbase Lite: ensures that apps are always available regardless of network connections. Data is stored and processed when offline, and synchronized with backend data centers when connectivity is available.
PouchDB is an open-source JavaScript database inspired by Apache CouchDB that is designed to run well within the browser.
Hoodie — An open-source project, Hoodie offers a complete backend solution for mobile apps, including tools for developing frontend code, which can be plugged into the API to get the app ready.
Realm is a fast, scalable alternative to SQLite with mobile-to-cloud data sync that makes building real-time, reactive mobile apps easy.
We will talk about these tools and frameworks in detail in upcoming articles
Disadvantages of Building an Offline-First App:
Increased Development Complexity:
Developing an offline-first app requires additional effort and complexity compared to traditional online-only apps. Developers need to consider data caching, conflict resolution, synchronization logic, and offline storage mechanisms. The need to handle offline scenarios and provide a seamless transition between offline and online modes adds complexity to the development process. This complexity can impact development timelines and require specialized knowledge and expertise.
Sync Conflicts — Merging changes from multiple clients requires conflict resolution strategies.
always you should keep in mind when developing offline apps the following questions How will the architecture handle concurrent data?
How will data conflicts be resolved? Are there enough safeguards in place for it? or how to avoid data conflicts?
Initial Load Time — Caching all assets increases payload size, slowing down the first load.
Storage Space — Caching consumes local storage which needs to be optimized to avoid filling device memory.
Browser Support — Features like service workers still lack support in some browsers.
Conclusion:
If your business application truly requires offline functionality, it would be advisable to develop an offline app initially. This approach offers several benefits such as improved reliability, performance, and interactivity, which can overcome the technical challenges typically associated with such applications.
For instance, consider the scenario of sales representatives (van-sales app) who frequently work in areas with limited or unreliable internet connectivity. In such cases, an offline app would allow them to continue their work seamlessly, without being dependent on a stable internet connection.
However, if there are no specific business requirements that demand offline functionality, it is generally more advantageous to prioritize developing an online connectivity app. This is because the initial cost and complexity of developing an offline app can be significantly higher than that of an online app. By starting with an online app, you can streamline the development process and avoid unnecessary complexities.
Ultimately, the decision to develop an offline first or online connectivity app should be based on the specific needs and constraints of your business.
