Glossary
Local-First Software
Local-first software stores your data primarily on your own device — with the cloud as an optional convenience, not the system of record. You keep access, ownership, and privacy even if the service changes or disappears.
The principle
In cloud-first software, the server's copy is the real one and your device holds a cache; if the company shuts down (as Pocket did in 2025), the data's fate is theirs to decide. Local-first inverts that: your device holds the real copy, and servers only sync what's necessary.
In practice
Obsidian's vault of local Markdown files is the canonical example. Readdit Later applies the same principle to Reddit saves: post content is cached in your browser's IndexedDB rather than on external servers, with only your labels, notes, and read status syncing — so your library isn't hostage to anyone's infrastructure.