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What is local-first software, explained without the developer jargon

Local-first software is a shape of software where the primary copy of your data lives on your device, not on a company's servers. The cloud is a backup and a sync convenience, not the source of truth. The practical test: does the app still work fully if the internet goes away and the company that made it disappears? If yes, it is local-first. If no, it is a cloud service dressed in a desktop icon.

Why the distinction matters

In cloud-first software, your files are hostages. When the company changes pricing, deprecates features, closes down, or is compelled to hand over data, you inherit the consequences. In local-first software, you have a copy. The company can go away. The file will still open.

The trade you make

Local-first often means less real-time collaboration. It usually means you set up your own sync. It always means you're responsible for backups. In exchange: durability across decades, no rent, no telemetry, no policy risk.

Where Elba sits

Elba is a local-first file vault. One HTML file that seals a folder with AES-256-GCM. Never touches the network. Becomes open source in 2030 — so the software itself is local-first in a way even the makers can't take back.

Questions people actually ask

Is local-first the same as offline-first?
Related but not identical — offline-first also works without network, but its data model may still be cloud-native.
Who coined the term?
Ink & Switch popularised it in a 2019 essay that is worth reading in full.

Take the island

Elba is one HTML file. It runs locally in a Chromium browser, seals a folder with AES-256-GCM, never phones home, and becomes open source on 1 January 2030.

  1. €49MMXXVI· now ·
  2. €39MMXXVII2027
  3. €29MMXXVIII2028
  4. €19MMXXIX2029
  5. FreeMMXXX2030

the price falls each year · free to all 1 jan 2030

Take the island — €49
pay once · no account · nothing leaves

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