Offline-First Architecture
NoteCove follows the offline-first principle: every feature works without an internet connection, and syncing is an optional layer on top.
Why offline-first?
Most note-taking apps are cloud-first — they store your data on a server and you access it over the network. This creates dependencies: if the server is down, the app degrades. If your internet drops, you cannot work. If the company shuts down, your data is at risk.
NoteCove inverts this model. Your notes are local files on your filesystem, stored in SQLite with full-text search. The app loads instantly, saves instantly, and searches instantly because everything is local.
Reliability
You can work from an airplane, a cabin without wifi, or during a service outage. There is no dependency on a third-party service staying online.
Performance
Local reads and writes are orders of magnitude faster than network round-trips. Note search is powered by SQLite FTS5 running against local data — results appear as you type.
Privacy
Your data stays on your devices. NoteCove has no servers, no accounts, no telemetry. When you sync, you do so through your own cloud storage (Dropbox, Google Drive, iCloud) — NoteCove never sees the data in transit.
Ownership
Your notes are files on your filesystem. You can back them up, move them, or stop using NoteCove entirely without losing anything. There is no vendor lock-in and no proprietary data format that locks you out.
How local storage works
NoteCove uses three types of local storage:
- SQLite database: note metadata, folder structure, tags, and the FTS5 search index
- CRDT update files: the raw sync data that enables conflict-free merging across devices
- Configuration: app preferences and profile settings
Default locations:
| Platform | Path |
|---|---|
| macOS | ~/Library/Application Support/NoteCove/ |
| Windows | %APPDATA%\NoteCove\ |
| Linux | ~/.config/NoteCove/ |
How sync fits in
Sync is optional. If you enable it by pointing a storage directory at a cloud folder, NoteCove writes CRDT update files to that folder. Your cloud provider syncs the files to other devices, where NoteCove reads and merges them.
The important thing is that sync is additive — it does not change how the app works locally. If the cloud folder goes offline, the app continues functioning. Changes queue locally and sync when the folder becomes available again.
For the details of how sync merging works, see How sync works.
What works offline
Everything:
- Create and edit notes and tasks
- Rich text formatting
- Folder and tag organization
- Kanban boards and project management
- Full-text search
- Comments and reactions
- Presentation mode
- Multi-window support
The only thing that requires a network connection is syncing changes to other devices — and even that is just “cloud folder available.”