Data modules

A core idea of the remoteStorage protocol is that the same data can be used by multiple apps. Imagine creating a to-do in one app, and tracking time on it in another.

Traditional Web apps make this possible with custom, proprietary APIs, which are dependent on the app provider. Third party developers usually need to register an application with the original provider to access that data via the API, and this access can be revoked at any time.

remoteStorage apps (and unhosted web apps in general) give end users ultimate control over which apps have access to their data. This makes users more independent from single app providers, and ensures that any app developer can create new apps for users' existing data.

In order to make it easy and safe for your app data to be compatible with other apps, we created the concept of data modules for remoteStorage.js. They are little add-on libraries, which can be shared between apps and developers, and that ideally are developed collaboratively in the open.

Data modules can contain as much or as little functionality as desired, from defining data formats and types, to data validation, formatting, processing, transformation, encryption, indexing, and other use cases.

Data modules make your app and its data interoperable with other apps. Sharing your modules is generally encouraged, but it's also possible to encapsulate custom functionality in a custom module made just for your app.