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Aaron Boodman - Replicache and Zero, Building Sync Engines for the Web

Feb 11, 2025

In this conversation, Aaron Boodman, founder of Rocicorp and a web development veteran from Google, unveils the intricacies of creating sync engines. He discusses how Zero enhances user experience in multi-user environments. Aaron dives into advancements in partial sync, rethinking query languages, and the revolutionary features of Xero, including custom mutators. The dialogue also touches on the evolution of state management challenges in client-server architectures, emphasizing the need for robust solutions to navigate data synchronization complexities.

47:15

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Episode guests

Aaron Boodman

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Episode notes

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Quick takeaways

Xero aims to enhance user experience by centralizing sync processes and addressing latency issues in traditional client-server models.

The novel partial sync feature of Xero allows tailored data synchronization based on user permissions, greatly improving complex application management.

With the introduction of ZQL, Xero enables reactive and efficient data queries, instantly reflecting changes in the user interface for smoother interactions.

Deep dives

Development of Xero and its Motivation

The development of Xero is driven by a desire to create a better sync engine that enhances user experience in application development. The initial approach involved creating a 'dog food' app, which allows the developers to use their own tools in practice and ensure the effectiveness of what they build. This hands-on experience helps in refining the features needed for creating more sophisticated applications. As Xero evolves from previous tools like Replicash, its goal is to address the longstanding challenges associated with syncing data across different platforms.

Intro

4min

Navigating State Management in Client-Server Architectures

7min

Advancements in Partial Sync and Reactive Queries with Xero

6min

Rethinking Query Languages and Application Architecture

5min

Architecting with Xero

7min

Navigating Data Sync Challenges

18min

This week we talk to Aaron Boodman, a founder of Rocicorp, the company behind Replicache and Zero. They have been innovating in the sync engine space for years and have been working on Zero for a while now. Zero is a sync engine that is designed to be a general purpose sync engine for the web with a focus on DX and UX.

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