Datastore API stable release

DT

Dropbox TechDropbox Tech

·March 8, 2020

Datastore API moves to stable release

Dropbox has announced that its Datastore API is out of beta, with the first stable releases of the iOS, Android, and JavaScript SDKs now available. The API first appeared in beta at the DBX conference earlier this year, and the intervening months were spent incorporating feedback and fixing bugs.

The Datastore API is designed to keep per-user app data—including application state, settings, bookmarks, and saved games—in sync across multiple devices and operating systems. In practice, datastores function as simple embedded databases that sync back to a user's Dropbox account. Developers can use the API at no cost.

Cross-platform synchronization

One of the principal advantages of the Datastore API is that it handles synchronization seamlessly across platforms. Separate tutorials are available for each supported platform:

Additional platforms are stated to be on the way. There are no restrictions on the types of use cases the Datastore API can support, and Dropbox is pointing developers to example implementations, tutorials, and downloadable SDKs for getting started. Feedback continues to be collected via the developer forum.

Developers interested in the internals of sync engines can also read Dropbox's two-part series on how the Datastore API handles conflicts: Part 1 covers the basics of offline conflict handling, while Part 2 details collision resolution.