README

Local-first IndexedDB syncing for Laravel and Livewire applications.

Duo enables automatic client-side caching and synchronization of your Eloquent models using IndexedDB, providing a seamless offline-first experience for your Laravel/Livewire applications. Just add a trait to your Livewire component and Duo handles the rest—automatically transforming your server-side components to work with IndexedDB.

Features

🚀 Zero Configuration: Add one trait and Duo automatically transforms your Livewire components to Alpine.js
💾 Automatic IndexedDB Caching: Transparently cache Eloquent models in the browser
🗄️ Schema Extraction: Automatically extracts database column types, nullability, and defaults for IndexedDB
⚡ Optimistic Updates: Instant UI updates with background server synchronization
🔄 Offline Support: Automatic offline detection with sync queue that resumes when back online
📊 Visual Sync Status: Built-in component showing online/offline/syncing states
🎯 Livewire Integration: Seamless integration with Livewire 3+ and Volt components
📦 Type-Safe: Full TypeScript support with auto-generated types from database schema
🔌 Vite Plugin: Automatic manifest generation with file watching

Local Development Setup

Want to contribute or test Duo locally? Follow these steps to set up local development with symlinked packages.

1. Clone and Install Duo

# Clone the Duo package repository
git clone https://github.com/joshcirre/duo.git
cd duo

# Install PHP dependencies
composer install

# Install Node dependencies
npm install

# Build the package
npm run build

2. Symlink Composer Package

Link the Duo package to your local Laravel application:

# In your Laravel app directory (e.g., ~/Code/my-laravel-app)
cd ~/Code/my-laravel-app

# Add the local repository to composer.json
composer config repositories.duo path ../duo

# Require the package from the local path
composer require joshcirre/duo:@dev

This creates a symlink in vendor/joshcirre/duo pointing to your local Duo directory. Changes to the PHP code are immediately reflected.

3. Symlink NPM Package

Link the Vite plugin to your Laravel application:

# In the Duo package directory
cd ~/Code/duo
npm link

# In your Laravel app directory
cd ~/Code/my-laravel-app
npm link @joshcirre/vite-plugin-duo

Now your Laravel app uses the local version of the Vite plugin.

4. Watch for Changes

In the Duo package directory, run the build watcher:

cd ~/Code/duo
npm run dev

This watches for TypeScript changes and rebuilds automatically. Changes are immediately available in your linked Laravel app.

5. Test Your Changes

In your Laravel app:

# Run both Vite and Laravel (recommended)
composer run dev

This runs both npm run dev and php artisan serve concurrently. Any changes you make to Duo's PHP or TypeScript code will be reflected immediately!

Alternative (manual):

# Terminal 1: Vite
npm run dev

# Terminal 2: Laravel
php artisan serve

6. Unlinking (When Done)

To remove the symlinks:

# Unlink npm package (in your Laravel app)
cd ~/Code/my-laravel-app
npm unlink @joshcirre/vite-plugin-duo

# Unlink composer package
composer config repositories.duo --unset
composer require joshcirre/duo  # Reinstall from Packagist

# Unlink from Duo directory
cd ~/Code/duo
npm unlink

Development Tips

PHP Changes: Automatically picked up via symlink
TypeScript Changes: Require npm run build or npm run dev (watch mode)
View Changes: Blade components update automatically
Config Changes: May require php artisan optimize:clear
Manifest Changes: Run php artisan duo:generate manually if needed

Installation

Composer Package

composer require joshcirre/duo

NPM Package (Vite Plugin)

npm install -D @joshcirre/vite-plugin-duo

Note: Dexie is automatically installed as a dependency.

Quick Start

1. Add the Syncable Trait to Your Models

Add the Syncable trait to any Eloquent model you want to cache in IndexedDB:

use JoshCirre\Duo\Syncable;

class Todo extends Model
{
    use Syncable;

    protected $fillable = ['title', 'description', 'completed'];
}

Both $fillable and $guarded are supported:

// Option 1: Using $fillable (explicit allow list)
protected $fillable = ['title', 'description', 'completed'];

// Option 2: Using $guarded (explicit deny list)
protected $guarded = ['id']; // Everything except 'id' is fillable

Duo automatically extracts your model's fillable attributes and database schema (column types, nullable, defaults) to generate the IndexedDB manifest—no manual configuration needed!

User-Scoped Models:

For models that belong to users, add a user() relationship but do NOT add user_id to $fillable:

class Todo extends Model
{
    use Syncable;

    // ✅ CORRECT: user_id is NOT in $fillable (security)
    protected $fillable = ['title', 'description', 'completed'];

    // ✅ Add user relationship - Duo auto-assigns user_id during sync
    public function user()
    {
        return $this->belongsTo(User::class);
    }
}

Why? Including user_id in $fillable is a security risk—users could assign items to other users. Duo automatically detects the user() relationship and assigns the authenticated user's ID securely during sync.

2. Add @duoMeta Directive to Your Layout

CRITICAL: Add the @duoMeta directive to the <head> section of your main layout. This provides the CSRF token and enables offline page caching:

<head>
    <meta charset="utf-8" />
    <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0" />
    @duoMeta

    <title>{{ $title ?? config('app.name') }}</title>
    <!-- rest of your head content -->
</head>

The @duoMeta directive outputs:

<meta name="csrf-token"> - Required for API sync requests
<meta name="duo-cache"> - Tells the service worker to cache this page for offline access

3. Configure Vite

Add the Duo plugin to your vite.config.js:

import { defineConfig } from 'vite';
import laravel from 'laravel-vite-plugin';
import { duo } from '@joshcirre/vite-plugin-duo';

export default defineConfig({
    plugins: [
        laravel({
            input: ['resources/css/app.css', 'resources/js/app.js'],
            refresh: true,
        }),
        duo({
            manifestPath: 'resources/js/duo/manifest.json',
            watch: true,  // Auto-regenerate manifest on file changes
            autoGenerate: true,
            patterns: [
                'app/Models/**/*.php',
                'resources/views/livewire/**/*.php',  // Volt components
                'app/Livewire/**/*.php',              // Class-based components
            ],
        }),
    ],
});

Note: The Duo Vite plugin automatically injects the initialization code into your app.js file. No manual initialization needed!

You can customize the auto-injection behavior with these options:

entry - Path to your main JS file (default: 'resources/js/app.js')

autoInject - Set to false to manually initialize Duo

4. Add the WithDuo Trait to Your Livewire Components

This is where the magic happens! Add the WithDuo trait to any Livewire component and Duo will automatically transform it to use IndexedDB:

Volt Component Example:

<?php
use Livewire\Volt\Component;
use App\Models\Todo;
use JoshCirre\Duo\WithDuo;

new class extends Component {
    use WithDuo;  // ✨ This is all you need!

    public string $newTodoTitle = '';

    public function addTodo()
    {
        Todo::create(['title' => $this->newTodoTitle]);
        $this->reset('newTodoTitle');
    }

    public function toggleTodo($id)
    {
        $todo = Todo::findOrFail($id);
        $todo->update(['completed' => !$todo->completed]);
    }

    public function deleteTodo($id)
    {
        Todo::findOrFail($id)->delete();
    }

    public function with()
    {
        return ['todos' => Todo::latest()->get()];
    }
}; ?>

<div>
    <form wire:submit="addTodo">
        <input type="text" wire:model="newTodoTitle" placeholder="New todo...">
        <button type="submit">Add</button>
    </form>

    <div class="space-y-2">
        @forelse($todos as $todo)
            <div>
                <input
                    type="checkbox"
                    wire:click="toggleTodo({{ $todo->id }})"
                    {{ $todo->completed ? 'checked' : '' }}
                >
                <span>{{ $todo->title }}</span>
                <button wire:click="deleteTodo({{ $todo->id }})">Delete</button>
            </div>
        @empty
            <p>No todos yet</p>
        @endforelse
    </div>
</div>

Class-Based Component Example:

<?php

namespace App\Livewire;

use Livewire\Component;
use App\Models\Todo;
use JoshCirre\Duo\WithDuo;

class TodoList extends Component
{
    use WithDuo;  // ✨ Add this trait

    public string $newTodoTitle = '';

    public function addTodo()
    {
        Todo::create(['title' => $this->newTodoTitle]);
        $this->reset('newTodoTitle');
    }

    public function render()
    {
        return view('livewire.todo-list', [
            'todos' => Todo::latest()->get(),
        ]);
    }
}

What Happens Automatically:

When you add the WithDuo trait, Duo will:

✅ Transform wire:click to Alpine.js @click handlers
✅ Convert @forelse loops to Alpine x-for templates
✅ Transform {{ $todo->property }} to x-text bindings
✅ Convert conditional classes to :class bindings
✅ Add x-cloak and loading state management
✅ Route all data operations through IndexedDB
✅ Queue changes for background sync to the server

5. Add the Sync Status Component (Optional)

Display a visual indicator of the sync status:

<x-duo::sync-status position="top-right" />

This component shows:

🟠 Offline: "You're offline - Changes saved locally"
🔵 Syncing: "Syncing X changes..."
🟢 Synced: "All changes synced"

6. Run Your Application

Development:

composer run dev

This runs both npm run dev and php artisan serve concurrently. The Vite plugin will automatically:

Run php artisan duo:generate to create the manifest
Watch for model and component changes
Regenerate the manifest when files change

Production Build:

npm run build

The production build will:

Generate the IndexedDB manifest
Copy the service worker to public/duo-sw.js automatically
Bundle all Duo client code with your assets

Important for Offline Support:

Visit your application while online (at least once after deploying)
The service worker will detect pages with @duoMeta and cache them
After the initial visit, the page will work offline

The service worker route (/duo-sw.js) is automatically registered by the Duo service provider—no additional configuration needed!

How It Works

Duo uses a sophisticated local-first architecture that transforms your Livewire components into offline-capable Alpine.js applications:

Initial Load

Component Transformation: When a component with the WithDuo trait renders, Duo intercepts the HTML and transforms it:
- Blade @forelse loops → Alpine x-for templates
- wire:click handlers → Alpine @click with IndexedDB operations
- {{ $model->property }} → <span x-text="model.property"></span>
- Conditional classes → :class bindings
- Adds loading states and x-cloak for smooth initialization
Sync Server Data: On page load, the Alpine component syncs server data to IndexedDB
Ready State: Component shows with duoReady flag set to true

Data Operations

Reads:

All data is read from IndexedDB (instant, no network delay)
Alpine templates reactively update from the local cache

Writes:

Changes write to IndexedDB immediately (optimistic update)
UI updates instantly
Operation queues for background server sync
Sync happens automatically in the background

Offline Support

Going Offline:

Browser's navigator.onLine API detects offline state
Sync queue automatically pauses
All operations continue to work locally
Sync status component shows orange "Offline" badge

Coming Back Online:

Browser detects connection restored
Sync queue automatically resumes
All queued operations sync to server
Network errors don't count against retry limit
Sync status shows progress, then green "Synced" when complete

Background Sync

Runs on configurable interval (default: 5 seconds)
Processes queued operations in order
Retries failed operations (default: 3 attempts)
Updates local cache with server responses
Handles concurrent operations safely

Configuration

Publish the configuration file:

php artisan vendor:publish --tag=duo-config

Edit config/duo.php:

return [
    'database_name' => env('DUO_DATABASE_NAME', 'duo_cache'),
    'sync_strategy' => env('DUO_SYNC_STRATEGY', 'write-behind'),
    'sync_interval' => env('DUO_SYNC_INTERVAL', 5000), // milliseconds
    'max_retry_attempts' => env('DUO_MAX_RETRY_ATTEMPTS', 3),
    'cache_ttl' => env('DUO_CACHE_TTL', null), // seconds, null = no expiration
    'debug' => env('DUO_DEBUG', false),
    'auto_discover' => env('DUO_AUTO_DISCOVER', true),
];

Advanced Usage

Manual Database Operations

import { getDuo } from '@joshcirre/duo/client';

const duo = getDuo();
const db = duo.getDatabase();

// Get a store
const postsStore = db.getStore('App_Models_Post');

// Query data
const allPosts = await postsStore.toArray();
const post = await postsStore.get(1);

// Add/update
await postsStore.put({
    id: 1,
    title: 'Hello World',
    content: 'This is a post',
});

// Delete
await postsStore.delete(1);

Manual Sync Operations

const duo = getDuo();
const syncQueue = duo.getSyncQueue();

// Check sync status
const status = syncQueue.getSyncStatus();
console.log('Online:', status.isOnline);
console.log('Pending:', status.pendingCount);
console.log('Processing:', status.isProcessing);

// Check if online
const isOnline = syncQueue.isNetworkOnline();

// Get pending operations
const pending = syncQueue.getPendingOperations();

// Force sync now
await syncQueue.processQueue();

Access Sync Status in Custom Components

// In Alpine component
x-data="{
    duoStatus: { isOnline: true, pendingCount: 0, isProcessing: false },
    init() {
        setInterval(() => {
            if (window.duo && window.duo.getSyncQueue()) {
                this.duoStatus = window.duo.getSyncQueue().getSyncStatus();
            }
        }, 1000);
    }
}"

Clear Cache

const duo = getDuo();
await duo.clearCache();

Custom Sync Component

You can build your own sync indicator using the sync status API:

<div x-data="{
    status: { isOnline: true, pendingCount: 0 },
    init() {
        setInterval(() => {
            if (window.duo?.getSyncQueue()) {
                this.status = window.duo.getSyncQueue().getSyncStatus();
            }
        }, 1000);
    }
}">
    <span x-show="!status.isOnline" class="text-orange-600">
        Offline
    </span>
    <span x-show="status.isOnline && status.pendingCount > 0" class="text-blue-600">
        Syncing <span x-text="status.pendingCount"></span> changes
    </span>
    <span x-show="status.isOnline && status.pendingCount === 0" class="text-green-600">
        Synced
    </span>
</div>

Artisan Commands

Discover Models

php artisan duo:discover

Lists all Eloquent models using the Syncable trait. Useful for verifying which models will be included in the manifest.

Generate Manifest

php artisan duo:generate

Generates the manifest.json file with IndexedDB schema from your models. The Vite plugin runs this automatically, but you can run it manually:

# Generate with custom path
php artisan duo:generate --path=resources/js/duo

# Force regeneration
php artisan duo:generate --force

Note: The Vite plugin with watch: true automatically regenerates the manifest when model files change, so you rarely need to run this manually.

Troubleshooting

Component Not Transforming

If your Livewire component isn't being transformed to Alpine:

Check the trait is present:

use JoshCirre\Duo\WithDuo;

class MyComponent extends Component {
    use WithDuo;  // Make sure this is here
}

Clear caches:

php artisan optimize:clear
composer dump-autoload

Check Laravel logs:

tail -f storage/logs/laravel.log | grep Duo

"window.duo not available"

If you see this error in the console:

Check Duo is initialized:
- Duo initializes automatically via the Vite plugin
- Check that the Duo plugin is added to your vite.config.js
Regenerate the manifest:
```
php artisan duo:generate
npm run build
```
Check Vite is running:
```
npm run dev
```

Data Not Syncing

If changes aren't syncing to the server:

Check the browser console for sync errors

Check sync queue status:

console.log(window.duo.getSyncQueue().getSyncStatus());

Verify routes are registered - Duo registers routes at /duo/sync
Check network tab in DevTools for failed requests

Changes Not Persisting

If changes disappear after refresh:

Check IndexedDB in Browser DevTools → Application → IndexedDB
Verify the model has Syncable trait
Check server logs for save errors

Clear IndexedDB and resync:

await window.duo.clearCache();
location.reload();

FAQ

Do I need to change my Livewire components?

No! Just add the WithDuo trait. Your existing Blade templates and Livewire methods work as-is. Duo automatically transforms them to use IndexedDB and Alpine.js.

Will this work with Volt components?

Yes! Duo works seamlessly with both class-based Livewire components and Volt single-file components.

What happens if JavaScript is disabled?

Components without the WithDuo trait will continue to work as normal server-side Livewire components. Components with the trait require JavaScript for the IndexedDB functionality.

Can I use this with existing Alpine.js code?

Yes! Duo generates Alpine.js-compatible code, so you can mix Duo-transformed components with regular Alpine components.

Does this replace Livewire?

No. Duo enhances Livewire by adding local-first capabilities. The server is still the source of truth. Duo just caches data locally and provides offline support.

Can I use Flux components?

Partially. Flux components work great for forms, buttons, and static UI elements. However, Flux components inside @forelse loops won't transform correctly since they're server-side components. Use plain HTML with Alpine bindings for loop items.

How do I handle conflicts?

Duo uses a "server wins" strategy. When sync operations complete, the server response updates the local cache. This ensures the server remains the source of truth.

Can I customize the transformation?

Currently, the transformation is automatic. Custom transformation logic is planned for a future release.

Requirements

PHP ^8.2
Laravel ^11.0 or ^12.0
Livewire ^3.0
Alpine.js 3.x (included with Livewire)
Modern browser with IndexedDB support

Browser Support

Duo works in all modern browsers that support IndexedDB:

Chrome/Edge 24+
Firefox 16+
Safari 10+
iOS Safari 10+

License

MIT License. See LICENSE.md for details.

Credits

Created by Josh Cirre

Built with:

Dexie.js - Minimalistic IndexedDB wrapper
Laravel - PHP framework
Livewire - Full-stack framework
Alpine.js - Lightweight JavaScript framework
Livewire Flux - UI components (optional)

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please feel free to submit a Pull Request.

Roadmap

See ROADMAP.md for planned features including:

Full page caching for complete offline mode
Seamless conflict resolution with visual components
Multiplayer mode ("Duet") with real-time sync
Permission-based conflict resolution
Architecture optimizations and Livewire v4 compatibility

joshcirre / duo

Maintainers

Details