Endbase

Endbase is a decentralized data platform designed to store and synchronize structured information across devices with strong user control over data. It provides a standardized data model and a replication protocol that supports offline operation and multi-device synchronization. Core concepts include Bases, which act as containers for Records, and Schemas that enforce structure. Records are versioned and can be merged using conflict-free replicated data types (CRDTs), enabling seamless collaboration without central coordination. The system emphasizes privacy through end-to-end encryption and optional server-side hosting.

Endbase comprises client libraries for popular languages, a local data store, a replication layer, an encryption module, and a reference server implementation. It supports fine-grained access control, audit trails, and pluggable backends for storage.

History and governance: Endbase was initiated in 2020 by a consortium of researchers and developers. The first public release appeared in 2021, followed by a governance framework established by the Endbase Foundation to coordinate development, documentation, and ecosystem contributions. The platform has since been adopted by personal data vaults, small teams, and privacy-focused apps.

Applications: Use cases include personal knowledge bases, collaborative editing, offline-capable apps, research data management, and distributed content repositories.

Limitations: The approach introduces design and operational complexity, with potential performance overhead for large datasets and the need for careful key management and access policy configuration.