Instant — backend for client-side apps
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Instant is an open-source backend for client-side apps: a database you use straight from the client, with relational queries, auth, permissions, file storage, presence (cursors, who is online) and streams. Reach for it when you want to ship an app fast without hand-building databases, caches, ORMs and API endpoints; when you need multiplayer and live updates without managing stateful servers; or when optimistic updates with rollback and offline support should work without extra code. Inside: queries in InstaQL, a relational language shaped like GraphQL; a client-side triple store cached in IndexedDB (web) and AsyncStorage (React Native); a sync server written in Clojure that tails the Postgres WAL to invalidate queries; and permissions enforced with Google's CEL library. All data lives in a multi-tenant Postgres. SDKs exist for JavaScript, React and React Native. The easiest start is instantdb.com, which has a free tier that never pauses; running locally from source is described in the client and server READMEs. The license is Apache 2.0. The focus is client-direct access to relational data with realtime built in, not building a REST or GraphQL API from scratch. A fit for web and mobile apps that use those three SDKs; the README lists no ready SDKs for other platforms.
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