Build the next Figma or Notion
Instant is a client-side database that makes it easy to build the best collaborative software like Figma, Notion, or Linear. It's like Firebase with relations and a full programming language for permissions.
Good vs. Great
The best applications today have a common feature set. Every interaction happens instantly, you rarely see a loading screen, collaboration is easy and delightful, and the app still works when offline.
If you want to make apps like Figma, Notion, or Linear, you invariably need to solve three problems:
😊
Optimistic Updates
Every change a user makes should appear instantly
🎮
Multiplayer
Users expect collaborative experiences and sync across devices.
✈️
Offline Mode
Users want your app working even during poor connections.
These are some of the toughest problems in UI Engineering. Instant solves all of them by giving you a graph database that you can query directly in the browser.
Write a relational query and we handle the rest
1. Add Instant to your project
npm i @instantdb/react
2. Write a relational query
import { useQuery } from '@instantdb/react'
const {isLoading, error, data} = useQuery({
teams: {
$: {where: {id: teamUUID}},
tasks: {owner: {}}
},
})
3. Get back objects
{
teams: [{
id: teamUUID,
name: 'Awesome Team',
tasks: [{id: taskUUID, title: 'Code', owner: [{id: ownerUUID, name: 'Joe'}]
}]
}
These are live queries that talk to a local database -- specifically, a triple store! The local database handles optimistic updates, syncs with the backend via sockets, and powers offline mode. Want to learn more? Check out A Graph-Based Firebase.
Built for Sunday Hustle
Are you the type of person who likes to hack in your spare time? Do you and your friends gather in cafes to work on side projects? We're building Instant with you in mind. We want to enable you to ship crazy ideas.