Local-first: experiments & lessons learned building TypeCell
summary
TypeCell is a Notion-like, live-programming knowledge base built on Yjs that uses a reactive UI and lazy-loaded Yjs documents; SyncedStore bridges Yjs to MobX/React and Vue so UI components auto-update without manual observers. Experiments send CRDT updates over Matrix and Nostr via Matrix-CRDT and Nostr-CRDT (worked but hit encryption and permission limits). Current backend moves to Supabase/Postgres with HocusPocus for sockets to support cascading permissions, cross-document refs, search, and practical background-sync tradeoffs.
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chapters (19)
- 0:00TypeCell introduction
- 1:24Design principles
- 2:54Live demo
- 4:21Yjs resource architecture
- 7:09Lazy loading & offline sync
- 9:25Local-first architecture
- 10:28SynStore for Yjs
- 12:13View layer reduction
- 13:39Sync layer challenges
- 14:00Matrix backend experiments
- 16:31Decentralized backend limits
- 17:32Supabase for permissions
- 18:36Cross-document operations
- 19:39Conclusion & productivity
- 21:47Q&A: Lazy loading
- 23:57Q&A: Access control
- 25:20Q&A: Sync mechanics
- 27:50Q&A: Sync framework
- 29:13Q&A: Background sync
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