Reliably syncing database and frontend state: A realtime competitor analysis

Ably's LiveSync product allows for real-time data synchronization across servers and clients. This post explores four existing solutions to this problem - Supabase, Liveblocks, ElectricSQL, and Replicache - each with their own trade-offs. Ably LiveSync is a flexible solution designed to work with any database of choice, supporting incremental adoption in existing applications. It uses concepts from Event Driven Architectures and Ably Pub/Sub Channels for reliable change delivery. The Models SDK helps merge changes easily and provides hooks for optimistic updates.