Write SaaS apps where users control where their data is stored

Hello HN,I would like to share with you linkedrecords.com - an open source backend as a service I'm working on since some time now. You can think of it as an firebase/convex alternative with an interesting twist.In 2018 I needed to write large software requirements/architecture documents in Google Docs. While I was annoyed by the limitations of Google Docs back then (no captions on figures, no automatic heading numbering, slow when docs are bigger,...) I was still fascinated by the real time collaboration features of it. So I've started a quest to understand how it works and I begun to implement an alternative to Google Docs.I was convinced that this kind of real time collaboration is the future so I've given it much thought how I could make this as generic as possible so I could use it in all future tools I would build.In the same time I was playing around with firebase (surprisingly you can not build a google docs alternative with firebase that easy as their real time collaboration does not provide merging text but rather just JSON). And back then I was also convinced that backend as a service is the right way to go. I was thinking that one of the most important reason we were still writing custom backend code is because of authorization.I also was faced with another problem when trying to make the backend as generic as possible: relations between entities are also domain specific. E.g. A Documents can have many comments.Luckily I was intrigued by another concept back in 2018 it was called web 3.0. Back in 2018 this had nothing to do with crypto. It was used as a term to refer to the semantic web and the resource description framework as one of its standards. There are also some RDF implementations which I could have reused but they are all XML and mostly Java based. I needed something light. Instead of implementing my own RDF product I took the idea of the RDF triplestore and came up with my own interpretation of it.Using concepts like: t

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A backend-as-a-service platform enabling SaaS apps with user-controlled data storage and real-time collaboration.

The pain

Current backend services like Firebase lack flexible real-time collaboration and fine-grained authorization, and users have limited control over where their data is stored.

The gap

No widely adopted backend service combines real-time collaboration, customizable data relations, and user-controlled data location in an open-source, lightweight package.

Build angle

Focus on building a modular, open-source backend that supports complex data relationships and real-time collaboration while allowing users or developers to specify data storage locations for compliance and privacy reasons.

Strengths

  • Addresses real pain points in real-time collaboration and data control.
  • Open source approach can attract developers seeking alternatives to Firebase.
  • Innovative use of semantic web concepts for flexible data modeling.
  • Potentially valuable for privacy-conscious applications and regulated industries.

Risks

  • Technical complexity in implementing robust real-time collaboration and authorization.
  • Market adoption risk due to entrenched competitors like Firebase and Supabase.
  • Unclear product-market fit and demand for user-controlled data storage at the backend service level.
  • Potential performance and scalability challenges with custom RDF-like data models.

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