Local-First
OwnSpace is built on the Local-First principle. Your data lives on your device by default — not on a server you don't control. This approach gives you privacy, speed, and offline access without sacrificing the ability to sync across devices.
What Does Local-First Mean?
Local-First software stores and processes data on the user's own device as the primary source of truth. The cloud is optional and serves only as a sync layer, not as a mandatory host.
| Principle | How OwnSpace Applies It |
|---|---|
| Your data, your device | All notes and files are stored in your browser's built-in storage (OPFS — Origin Private File System). No data ever leaves your device unless you explicitly sync it. |
| Works offline | Every feature works without an internet connection. You can create, edit, search, and organize notes on a plane, in a tunnel, or anywhere else. |
| Sync is optional | Cloud sync (Yandex Disk, Google Drive, etc.) is a feature you opt into. You control which data goes to the cloud and when. |
| No vendor lock-in | Your data is stored as plain Markdown files. You can export everything at any time and take it to another tool. |
Why Local-First?
Privacy
Your notes, documents, and personal knowledge never touch a third-party server. There is no central database, no analytics, no data mining.
Speed
Reading and writing to local storage is instant. There are no network round-trips, no loading spinners, no "please wait while we save to the cloud." The app responds to every action immediately.
Offline Resilience
No internet? No problem. You can work in a coffee shop with spotty Wi-Fi, on a train, or in airplane mode. Changes are saved locally and automatically synced when connectivity returns.
Long‑Term Access
Your knowledge base is a collection of .md files. You can open them in any text editor, back them up with any file sync tool (Dropbox, Syncthing, rsync), and migrate to any platform. There are no proprietary databases to extract data from.
How It Works Under the Hood
- OPFS (Origin Private File System) — the browser's built-in file system, used as primary storage. Fast, reliable, and sandboxed per origin.
- Sync Engine — reads local files and pushes/pulls changes to your chosen cloud provider. The local copy is always authoritative.
Comparison
| Local-First (OwnSpace) | Cloud-First | Local-Only | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Data location | Your device | Cloud server | Your device |
| Offline capable | Yes | Limited | Yes |
| Multi-device sync | Optional | Mandatory | No |
| Privacy | Full | Varies | Full |
| Data portability | Full (Markdown) | Often limited | Full |
Next Steps
- Set up cloud sync to access your notes from multiple devices
- Learn about PARA methodology to organize your knowledge
- See Getting Started for a quick tour of the app