Architecture//4 min read read

Offline Mode & Syncing

Understand how BarBud operates in low-connectivity environments and handles data synchronization.

BarBud is built with offline resilience in mind, allowing your bartenders to continue serving customers and ringing up tabs even when the internet connection drops or becomes unstable.

How Offline Mode Works

BarBud utilizes a combination of IndexedDB, localStorage, and Service Workers (PWA) to cache essential app data. When the connection to the server is lost, the application automatically falls back to reading from and writing to this local cache.

What Works Offline

  • Creating and Updating Tabs: You can open new tabs, add items, and update quantities.
  • Closing Tabs: You can close out tabs to cash. Credit card processing depends on your external payment terminal's offline capabilities.
  • Viewing Inventory: The full menu and pricing remain accessible.
  • Viewing Shift Data: Current shift totals are calculated locally based on the device's cache.

What Doesn't Work Offline

  • Real-time Syncing Between Devices: If Device A opens a tab offline, Device B will not see it until Device A regains connection and syncs.
  • Customer Loyalty Lookups: Fetching real-time gift card balances requires an active connection.
  • Manager Analytics: The historical dashboard analytics will only reflect data synced up to the point the connection was lost.

The Synchronization Process

When a device performs an action offline, that action is recorded in a local "sync queue". BarBud constantly monitors the network status.

  1. Connection is restored.
  2. The background sync process automatically begins processing the queue.
  3. Transactions are sent to the server in the exact order they occurred.
  4. Once acknowledged by the server, the items are removed from the local queue.

⚠️ Important: Do Not Clear Browser Data

If a tablet has been operating offline, do not clear the browser cache, delete the app, or sign out before ensuring it has reconnected to the internet and fully synced. Doing so will result in permanent data loss.

Best Practices

While BarBud is highly capable offline, it should not be treated as a purely offline system. Follow these best practices to ensure data integrity:

  • End of Night Sync: Always ensure all tablets are connected to Wi-Fi and the "Sync Complete" indicator is visible before powering them down for the night.
  • Designate Terminals: If operating in a known low-connectivity environment, assign specific bartenders to specific tablets to minimize confusion around un-synced cross-device tabs.