After years in the making, it is with great pleasure today that I’m announcing the launch of BAQ, the federated app platform.
It’s a set of protocols and tools that enables developers to build connected apps while managing little to no backend infrastructure, and allowing end users to be in control of their own data. Whether you have an idea for a new personal productivity tool, a flashy new app to text your friends, or the social network of the future, you can go ahead and build it on BAQ.
Return to form
It used to be that as users of computers we were in charge of the files inside. We could choose what apps to open our documents with, what songs to copy on a drive to show our friends, and what photos to archive for safekeeping.
It used to be that as developers we could create apps freely, without having to ask permission from any “store” or fight for API access to walled gardens.
With the advent of the internet and as computers moved into our pockets, we’ve increasingly moved to online services that promised convenience and ubiquitous access to our data while ultimately delivering a fragmented, closed-off experience and taking away the control and choice we previously had.
As more and more of our lives take place online, BAQ is an attempt to reclaim that lost freedom. It’s a vision for an internet where real competition is possible by empowering us all to make two essential choices:
- Who do we trust to host our data.
- What apps do we want to use to create and consume that data.
Everyone should be able to make these decisions for themselves with the confidence that they can always change their minds later on, and that it won’t affect their ability to communicate with the people they hold dear.
Available today
To get started on this journey, this first release of BAQ includes the following:
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The official BAQ documentation.
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SDKs for JavaScript, React, and React Native.
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A command line tool to manage BAQ in your app.
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A hosting service: BAQ.RUN.
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Open source demo applications:
And that’s just the start, there’s much more to come.
Getting involved
If any of this sounds exciting to you, there are plenty of ways to get involved!
- Build your first BAQ app in just 15 minutes.
- Play with the demo apps, fork them, add cool new features, release your own or open PRs for everyone to benefit.
- Report bugs and suggest improvements on GitHub.
- Come say hi and discuss app ideas on Discord or over email.
Acknowledgements
BAQ was in large parts inspired by the Tent protocol and its vision for a new kind of federated web back in 2012. I’m extremely grateful to the Tent team for their enthusiasm and groundbreaking ideas, many of which made it into the BAQ protocol as it exists today.