online/offline + data sync, unreliable connectivity, PWA
Is Convex an excellent go-to DB tech for online/offline + data sync for apps to be used in poor/unreliable connectivity areas? And would it pair well - if at all needed - with PWA architecture?
2 Replies
Convex doesn't provide some of the things you'd especially want for offline / PWA use cases. The client supports local optimistic updates, but doesn't persist these past closing the browser tab (and will warn users about this when they try to close the tab).
It's pretty slick for data sync and robust to connections dropping out but this is support for unreliable connections, not true offline support.
@FlipOneUp Curious what use cases you have in mind!
Convex works great with frameworks that render static HTML on the server, similar to Prisma or other database connectors.
The flashy live-updating reactive aspect of Convex is more apparent when using the websocket client in the browser, but other properties like DB-adjacent JavaScript transactions still shine when using Convex from the server.
Thanks, Tom. My use case: A ride-hailing & delivery services PWA app — HTML/CSS/Svelte/SvelteKit — that must work reliably in both good and poor/intermittent connectivity conditions (Asian country). Data sync between client device data (mobile phones) and cloud DB data (DBaaS) is an important capability. Poor connectivity means drivers and customers may be disconnected and offline for minutes or even hours.