Beyond the Cloud: The Local-First Software Revolution • Brooklyn Zelenka & Julian Wood • GOTO 2025

This interview was recorded for GOTO Unscripted. #GOTOcon #GOTOunscripted https://gotopia.tech Read the full transcription of this interview here: https://gotopia.tech/articles/374 Brooklyn Zelenka - Author of Numerous Libraries Including Witchcraft & Founded the Vancouver Functional Programming Meetup @bezelenka Julian Wood - Serverless Developer Advocate at AWS @julian_wood RESOURCES Brooklyn https://bsky.app/profile/expede.wtf https://octodon.social/@[email protected] https://github.com/expede https://www.linkedin.com/in/brooklynzelenka https://notes.brooklynzelenka.com Julian https://bsky.app/profile/julianwood.com https://twitter.com/julian_wood http://www.wooditwork.com https://www.linkedin.com/in/julianrwood Links https://automerge.org https://discord.com/invite/zKGe4DCfgR https://www.robinsloan.com/notes/home-cooked-app https://github.com/ipvm-wg https://www.localfirst.fm https://localfirstweb.dev https://youtu.be/X6fPkRON3X8 https://youtu.be/UDo9W4tt69c https://youtu.be/5AGEv0sAw6g https://youtu.be/_KvFapRkR9I https://youtu.be/ahyF8e9qKBc https://youtu.be/esMjP-7jlRE https://youtu.be/P-9FwZxO1zE https://youtu.be/zt9DFMkjkEA https://youtu.be/fxfjYD_5qUI https://youtu.be/lgHh4de_6ZI https://youtu.be/PxDRMpfyr5A https://youtu.be/sCybe9FAGOc https://youtu.be/8fi7uSYlOdc https://youtu.be/BD46Yv7ywvc DESCRIPTION Distributed systems researcher Brooklyn Zelenka unpacks the paradigm shift of local-first computing, where applications primarily run on users' devices and synchronize seamlessly without central servers. In a conversation with Julian Wood, she explains how this approach reduces latency, enables offline functionality, improves privacy through encryption, and democratizes app development—all while using sophisticated data structures. Perfect for collaborative tools and "cozy web" applications serving smaller communities, local-first software represents a fundamental rethinking of how we've built software for the past 30 years. TIMECODES 00:00 Intro 00:47 Introduction to local-first computing 03:19 Rethinking traditional software architecture 13:47 Local-first implementation & data synchronization 22:52 Security & use cases for local-first apps 25:31 Getting started & future directions 32:55 Outro RECOMMENDED BOOKS Ford, Parsons, Kua & Sadalage • Building Evolutionary Architectures 2nd Edition • https://amzn.to/3lqr5Q8 Ford, Richards, Sadalage & Dehghani • Software Architecture: The Hard Parts • https://amzn.to/3QeMgjR Mark Richards & Neal Ford • Fundamentals of Software Architecture • https://amzn.to/3wMBhoI Ford, Parsons & Kua • Building Evolutionary Architectures • https://amzn.to/3l0IOh2 Neal Ford • Functional Thinking • https://amzn.to/3l6ND8M Michael Feathers • Working Effectively with Legacy Code • https://amzn.to/3ZFQoMU Christian Clausen • Five Lines of Code • https://amzn.to/3s2zjyg https://bsky.app/profile/gotocon.com https://twitter.com/GOTOcon https://www.linkedin.com/company/goto- https://www.instagram.com/goto_con https://www.facebook.com/GOTOConferences #LoFi #LocalFirst #LocalFirstSoftware #SoftwareArchitecture #DistributedSystems #DisorderlySystems #CloudInfrastructure #OAuth #CRDT #Cryptography #CodeAsData #BrooklynZelenka #JulianWood CHANNEL MEMBERSHIP BONUS Join this channel to get early access to videos & other perks: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCs_tLP3AiwYKwdUHpltJPuA/join Looking for a unique learning experience? Attend the next GOTO conference near you! Get your ticket at https://gotopia.tech Sign up for updates and specials at https://gotopia.tech/newsletter SUBSCRIBE TO OUR CHANNEL - new videos posted almost daily. https://www.youtube.com/user/GotoConferences/?sub_confirmation=1