IronDB
IronDB is a resilient key-value store for the browser.
IronDB is the best way to store persistent key-value data in the browser. Data saved to IronDB is redundantly stored in Cookies, IndexedDB, LocalStorage, and SessionStorage, and relentlessly self heals if any data therein is deleted or corrupted.
For example, clearing cookies is a common user action, even for relatively non-technical users. And browsers will unceremoniously delete IndexedDB, LocalStorage, and/or SessionStorage without warning.
IronDB is resilient in the face of such events.
In this way, IronDB is like Evercookie, but
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Is actively maintained and well documented.
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Provides a simple, modern, Promise-based API.
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Strikes an equitable balance between reliability and respect for the user. Data is stored reliably but can also be voluntarily purged if the user designedly clears cookies and application storage.
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Doesn't use nefarious exploits nor deprecated third party plugins like Flash, Silverlight, or Java. Only standard, ratified HTML5 APIs are used.
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Doesn't vandalize performance or the user experience. For example, Evercookie's CSS History Knocking can beget a deluge of background HTTP requests, and loading Silverlight or Flash can raise unsought permission modals or thrash the user's disk.
How IronDB works.
When you store a key-value pair in IronDB, that key and value are saved redundantly in the browser's cookies, IndexedDB, LocalStorage, and SessionStorage datastores.
When a value is retrieved via its key, IronDB
- Looks up that key in every datastore.
- Counts each unique returned value.
- Determines the most commonly returned unique value as the 'correct' value.
- Returns this 'correct' value.
Then IronDB self-heals: if any datastore(s) returned a value different than the determined correct value, or no value at all, the correct value is rewritten to that store. In this way, consensus, reliability, and redundancy is maintained.
API
Set()
IronDB's API is simple. To store a value, use set(key, value):
import { IronDB } from 'iron-db'
await IronDB.set('key', 'value')key and value must be
DOMStrings.
IronDB.set(key, value) also always returns value, so it can be chained or
embedded, like
const countPlusOne = (await IronDB.set('count', countNumberOfClowns())) + 1Get()
To retrieve a value, use get(key, default=null):
const value = await IronDB.get('key', default=null)get() returns the value associated with key, if key exists. If key
doesn't exist, default is returned. key must be a
DOMString.
Remove()
Finally, to remove a key, use remove(key):
IronDB.set('hi', 'bonjour')
console.log(await IronDB.get('hi')) // Prints 'bonjour'.
await IronDB.remove('hi')
console.log(await IronDB.get('hi')) // Prints 'null'.key must be a
DOMString.
Stores
The data stores that IronDB stores data in can also be configured. For example, to only store data reliably in cookies and LocalStorage:
import { IronStorage, CookieStore, LocalStorageStore } from 'iron-db'
const stores = [new CookieStore(), new LocalStorageStore()]
const db = IronStorage(stores)
await db.set('key', JSON.Stringify({1:1}))Available stores are
- CookieStore -> Keys and values are stored in
document.cookie. - IndexedDbStore -> Keys and values are stored in
window.indexedDB. - LocalStorageStore -> Keys and values are stored in
window.localStorage. - SessionStorageStore -> Keys and values are stored in
window.sessionStorage.
New storage implementations can easily be added, too; they need only implement
the methods get(key, default), set(key, value), and remove(key).
Installation
Installing IronDB with npm is easy.
$ npm install iron-db
Or include dist/iron-db[.min].js and use window.IronDB directly.
<html>
<head>
<script src="iron-db.min.js"></script>
<script>
(async () => {
const db = IronDB.IronDB;
await db.set('hi', 'lolsup');
})();
</script>
</head>
...
</html>
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