concept

CRDT (Conflict-free Replicated Data Type)

A CRDT is a data structure designed so that concurrent edits from multiple clients automatically merge into a consistent result — used to power realtime collaboration without server-side conflict resolution.

CRDTs (LWW, OR-Set, RGA, Yjs's tree-based CRDT, Automerge) let many clients edit shared data concurrently without a central authority resolving conflicts. By 2026 Yjs and Automerge are the production CRDT libraries powering collaborative apps (Notion-style docs, Figma-style canvases, Tiptap-style editors). The trade-off vs OT (operational transformation): CRDTs are simpler to implement at scale but produce larger metadata payloads. Choose CRDTs when you want offline-tolerant collaboration without a central conflict resolver; choose OT when central authority is acceptable and metadata size matters.

When to use crdt (conflict-free replicated data type)

Multi-user collaborative editing.
Offline-first apps with conflict resolution.

Common mistakes

Using CRDT metadata payloads naively — sizes can balloon.
Conflating CRDTs with realtime sync — they solve the merge problem, you still need a transport.

FAQ

What is crdt (conflict-free replicated data type)?

When should I use crdt (conflict-free replicated data type)?

Multi-user collaborative editing. Offline-first apps with conflict resolution.

What are the most common mistakes with crdt (conflict-free replicated data type)?

Using CRDT metadata payloads naively — sizes can balloon. Conflating CRDTs with realtime sync — they solve the merge problem, you still need a transport.

Realtime sync — Realtime sync is the pattern where every connected client receives updates within milliseconds of a database change — without polling — via WebSockets, server-sent events, or similar live-channel mechanisms.

Last updated: 2026-06-01. Raw markdown: https://promtable.com/glossary/crdt.md.