Offline-first
Offline-first is a design principle in which an app works without a network connection, stores what the user does locally and synchronises when the connection returns.
Also known as: offline first, offline support
In an ordinary app, data is fetched from and saved to the server, so without a network the work stops. An offline-first app reverses the order: data is written first to a local database on the device, and a sync engine passes the changes on when coverage returns. That means the app has to decide which data lives locally, how changes are queued, and what happens when two people have changed the same thing while disconnected (conflict resolution). Photos and signatures also have to be stored locally and uploaded later. Offline-first takes more work than an app that needs a connection, so it is a deliberate choice where users work without stable coverage: in basements and tunnels, at sea or on sites far from the nearest mast.
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Related terms
- Serial-number service history — Serial-number service history is the complete record of everything done to one specific unit after delivery: service, repairs, replaced parts, inspections and certificates.