Deploying Single Page Application(SPA) with CouchDB

[Darryl Wagoner]

I have been tinkering with CouchDB for about a year and I really like it.

What I have been able to find out the best way to do is deploying a CouchDB
to an end users computer. I expect the end users to be fairly dumb.
During the key times they application will be used, Internet may or may not
be available or I would host it on a web hosting service.

The options I have thought about are:

1. Tell them to install CouchDB and writing a C# web server that runs the
SPA. Downside is I limit my customer to windows
2. Use CouchDb to server the JavaScript/HTML files. Not a bad solution,
but I can find any docs on how to do that. It would be great to repackage
CouchDb to have my files.
3. Have them install Apache or such to server the files
4. Have them install another web service ie: nodejs, etc

Suggestions?

thanks
-darryl

[Kyle Snavely]

Hi Darryl,

I've had really good luck using Python Flask web services supported by a
CouchDB (Cloudant) backend. That will expand your target support from
Windows to most platforms, and might be less overhead if you're talking
about a fairly simple application. I've been down the couch-app route
(successfully) but unless you are talking a very basic application (just
HTML/client-side JS) I've found using an external tool for the web service
to be advantageous. Node would likely provide similar advantages --
allowing you to break down the problem into a client/server space.

Cheers,
Kyle

[Joel Wallis Jucá]

Hi Darryl.

By "deploying a CouchDB to an end users computer" you mean the client side?
Because if you do, I think you would be interested in PouchDB. You can
build a desktop app with Electon (HTML/CSS/JS) and use PouchDB to store
local data (offline apps), and later sync them with your CouchDB server.

--
Joel Wallis Jucá
joelwallis.com

[Giovanni P]

2 is probably your best option. Just use attachments. /db/doc/index.html

better yet, if possible: host the static files for the SPA yourself, use
the HTML appcache so the files will be avaliable for the users even when
offline, then let the users input their own CouchDB URL/passwords in the
app. store all this relevant data client-side, on localStorage, and let
this hosted SPA connect to their local CouchDBs.

[Giovanni P]

using this second approach you can also use PouchDB for better flow.

1. users go the hosted SPA in your URL;
2. the first time they load the page, due to the presence of an appcache,
files will be stored in the browser and remain accessible when offline;
3. they can start inputting data or doing whatever your app does using
PouchDB, which will be automatically loaded and will store data in the
browser;
4. whenever they want, they can input a CouchDB URL somewhere in the app;
5. from that point on, the data from PouchDB will be synced to the CouchDB
and vice-versa.

[Dragos Stoica]

This works for both SPA (highly recommended) and MPA (vintage apps)
What our team implemented until now is:
1) plain appcache - the application files, that can be used offline, are cached on the browser. When you need to update application files just modify appcache manifest file. There is a part that needs to be always on-line: authentication, external services, reporting etc. The application is web 2.0.
2) PouchDB to store the application files, usually in _design/app as attachments. Each time when data is replicated the application files are also checked. This application may be web or hybrid (Cordova/Phonegap)
3) CouchBase Lite to store everything. In fact the whole application is just a wrapper around CBLite. So when one needs an application it will point to the sync url (e.g. http://myapplication.cloudant.com/database), choose the application, replicate the application and data, operate offline, sync with server. The updates, other modules and other applications are deployed in the same way. This is a boilerplate, a bootstrap, an application loader and we use CouchDB like an application deployment repository and document store - somehow similar with Cordova plugin repository. The only issue you may have is with Apple - they do not agree with this method for application deployment.
Make your choice - as you like it!For human operator press # :-) Dragos STOICA0735220023

[Martin Broerse]

Hi Darryl,

My suggestion: I run `ember deploy production` using
https://www.npmjs.com/package/ember-cli-deploy-couchdb and
https://github.com/nolanlawson/ember-pouch to deploy my Ember App on
CouchDB. So on http://bloggr.exmer.com/ the ember app runs in the same
cloudant database as the data. Source :
https://github.com/broerse/ember-cli-blog

- Martin