For airline data workloads, continuous availability is essential; even brief service outages can ripple into expensive flight delays and cancellations. Ticketing, crew scheduling, and in-flight service are especially vulnerable, as they must stay responsive even while transitioning from ground-based networks to the sky. To ensure smooth operation regardless of network conditions, airlines have lead the way in adopting local-first collaboration tools like sync capable databases. By keeping the data near the user, airlines ensure boarding, scheduling, and in-flight service run smoothly no matter what's happening with the network.
As the creator of Couchbase Mobile, one of the leaders of the first wave of syncable databases, I understand the challenges and benefits of building data infrastructure that works no matter what happens to the network. Our technology showed a path forward, not only for airlines, but for any organization that can't let network outages disrupt their operations. Today I am building a next generation syncable database, delivering on the promise of data anywhere by building a syncable database that's at home wherever JavaScript runs, allowing your data to power web experiences, mobile apps, and internal workflows.
Fireproof advances the computer science behind CRDTs (the mergeable data structure that makes sync possible) by adding cryptographic merges tracking, like git or the blockchain, in a package lightweight enough to run in a tablet, browser, or edge function. The end result is seamless collaboration, no matter what network conditions happen to be, and trustworthy data provenance, allowing developers of any skill level to build enterprise-critical front-line applications.
In the context of in-flight service, Fireproof is ideal for bridging the gap between mobile applicationd and the web, allowing data to be addressed from anywhere, so customer can bring thier own devices while experiencing the same reliability crew members have come to expect. Rapid feature development enables richer custom experiences and faster application rollouts, making micro-apps like web-based gate check and in-flight ordering a reality.
The next frontier is offline and latency-free payments, because while tap-to-pay is becoming mainstream, it still expects terminals to be online, limiting transaction time to the speed of the network. Whether you are building pre-flight ordering or post-service billing, Fireproof apps work locally and can sync in any enviroment, making it easy to connect customers, crew, and the in-flight entertainment system through dynamic data-driven workflows.
Beyond the airline industry, there is increasing demand for distributed, real-time, collaborative applications that work no matter what, especailly at the far edge of the network. Whether you are building a supply chain management system for a factory, a smart home platform, or a collaborative workflow for a law firm, Fireproof is a syncable database that puts data under your control.