Open-Source Databases · garden-co

classic-jazz

Classic Jazz is a distributed database designed to sync data across frontend apps, backend containers, serverless functions, and cloud storage. It emphasizes local-first, offline-first operation with built-in encryption, multiplayer support, and reactive state management. The maintainers recommend Jazz v2 for new projects.

Talk to DEV.co Discuss Implementation

Source: GitHub — github.com/garden-co/classic-jazz

2.5k

GitHub stars

113

Forks

TypeScript

Primary language

MIT

License (OSI-approved)

Key facts

Objective fields from the source. Values we can't verify are shown as “Unknown” rather than guessed.

Field	Value
Repository	garden-co/classic-jazz
Owner	garden-co
Primary language	TypeScript
License	MIT — OSI-approved
Stars	2.5k
Forks	113
Open issues	239
Latest release	[email protected] (2026-07-03)
Last updated	2026-07-07
Source	https://github.com/garden-co/classic-jazz

What classic-jazz is

A TypeScript-based CRDT-powered distributed database using end-to-end encryption and local-first sync. Supports reactive state (similar to React state management), offline-first workflows, and integrates with various deployment targets (serverless, containers, edge). Built on MIT license; development activity is recent.

Quickstart

Get the classic-jazz source

Clone the repository and explore it locally.

terminalbash

1git clone https://github.com/garden-co/classic-jazz.git2cd classic-jazz3# follow the project's README for install & configuration

Need it deployed, integrated, or customized instead? DEV.co ships production installs.

Best use cases

Collaborative real-time applications

Multi-user editing, shared whiteboards, or team documents where instant sync and conflict resolution (via CRDT) are critical and offline resilience is desired.

Offline-first mobile and PWA apps

Applications requiring robust local storage with eventual consistency; users can work offline and sync when reconnected without complex reconciliation logic.

Distributed microservice state

Sync application state across frontend, edge workers, and backend services where centralized database latency or consistency complexity is a pain point.

Implementation considerations

CRDT-based sync requires understanding eventual consistency semantics; teams accustomed to strict transactional semantics need careful architecture review.
End-to-end encryption is built-in but security audit status and key management approach should be reviewed for compliance (HIPAA, GDPR, SOC2) before production use.
State management mental model differs from traditional SQL/NoSQL; developers will need training on reactive, local-first patterns.
Latest release (0.20.19) suggests pre-1.0 API surface; backward compatibility across minor versions should be validated before locking in upgrades.
239 open issues indicate active development; prioritization and SLA for issue resolution are unknown.

When to avoid it — and what to weigh

Strong ACID requirements — CRDT-based systems trade immediate strong consistency for eventual consistency; if your domain requires strict serializable transactions (e.g., financial ledgers), this may not be suitable without additional guarantees.
V2 is the recommended path — The README explicitly recommends Jazz v2 for new projects and explains what was learned from Classic Jazz; adopting Classic Jazz now may lead to migration burden.
Mature, battle-tested requirements — Project created August 2023 with active development but relatively recent; organizations needing proven, multi-year production track records in mission-critical systems should evaluate maturity carefully.
Non-TypeScript ecosystems — Primary implementation is TypeScript; integration into Python, Go, or JVM-dominant stacks may require custom bridges or client libraries not yet validated at scale.

License & commercial use

MIT License. Permissive OSI-approved license allowing commercial use, modification, and distribution with attribution and no warranty.

MIT is a permissive license; commercial use is permitted. However, no explicit commercial support, SLA, or warranty terms are stated in the provided data. Evaluate support options (Discord community vs. paid support) separately with Garden Computing, Inc.

DEV.co evaluation signals

Editorial assessment — not user reviews. Directional, with an explicit confidence level.

Signal	Assessment
Maintenance	Active
Documentation	Adequate
License clarity	Clear
Deployment complexity	High
DEV.co fit	Possible
Assessment confidence	Medium

Security considerations

End-to-end encryption is a stated feature, but no audit reports, CVE history, or threat model are provided. Key derivation, rotation, and management practices should be reviewed. CRDT-based replication introduces potential for state divergence under Byzantine conditions; threat model should be explicit. Offline-first and local storage increase device-level attack surface; consider data at rest protections.

Alternatives to consider

Replicache

Also focuses on local-first sync and offline-first; mature, battle-tested in production; different licensing model (proprietary sync server option).

Firestore / Firebase Realtime Database

Google-backed managed sync with strong consistency guarantees; mature, high uptime SLA; vendor lock-in and centralized architecture vs. Classic Jazz's distributed model.

WatermelonDB

Local-first database for React Native; narrower scope (mobile-first) but proven in production mobile apps; different architecture (SQL-like) vs. CRDT.

Software development agency

Build on classic-jazz with DEV.co software developers

Classic Jazz offers local-first, offline-first capabilities with built-in encryption. Review the recommendation to use Jazz v2, audit the security model, and validate CRDT semantics for your use case. Contact Garden Computing or engage the community on Discord for detailed evaluation.

Talk to DEV.co

Related open-source tools

Surfaced by semantic similarity across the DEV.co open-source index.

pouchdb cnosdb realm-java

Related on DEV.co

Explore the category and the services that help you build with it.

Open-Source Databases Web App Development API Development Cloud Deployment Talk to DEV.co

classic-jazz FAQ

Should we adopt Classic Jazz or Jazz v2?

The README explicitly recommends Jazz v2 for new projects and references what was learned from Classic Jazz. Evaluate v2 first; Classic Jazz may be suitable only for legacy migrations or specific use cases v2 doesn't address.

Is Classic Jazz production-ready?

Project is active (last push 2026-07-07) and version 0.20.19 suggests pre-1.0 API surface. Maturity for mission-critical systems requires case-by-case evaluation of your consistency and availability requirements.

What is the cost to run Classic Jazz?

Self-host costs depend on your infrastructure (storage, compute, network). Jazz Cloud option exists but pricing and terms are not provided in available data; contact Garden Computing, Inc.

Do we need to rewrite our app to use Classic Jazz?

Adoption requires understanding CRDT semantics, eventual consistency, and local-first patterns. Existing apps built on centralized databases (SQL, Firestore) will need refactoring; not a drop-in replacement.

Work with a software development agency

DEV.co helps companies turn open-source tools like classic-jazz into production software. Our software development services cover the full lifecycle — architecture, web development, integration, and maintenance — delivered by software developers and web developers who ship. Engage our software development agency to implement or customize it for your open-source databases stack.

Ready to evaluate distributed sync for your app?

Talk to DEV.co Schedule a Consultation