This document summarizes a presentation about SwellRT, an open-source platform for building real-time collaborative applications. SwellRT allows for rapid development of apps like real-time text editing, workflows, chat, and push notifications. It uses a backend-as-a-service architecture with a REST API and supports features like data autonomy, interoperability, and privacy for collaborative objects. The platform aims to avoid vendor lock-in and has origins in Apache Wave. JetPad, a collaborative document editor built on SwellRT, is highlighted as a prototype for citizen participation apps.

1. Fast App
development
with SwellRT
February 7
Brussels
Samer Hassan
@samerP2P
Universidad Complutense de Madrid
Berkman Klein Center at Harvard University
Pablo Ojanguren
@pablojan
Founder & Lead developer
Software Engineer. Project manager, PMP

2. Trends in Digital Services

3. What is happening nowadays
Mobile
Integration
Collaborative tools:
the new normal
User
Experience

4. Challenges for Organizations
Use of External
Foreign Service?
Eventual Need to
Adopt them
Multiple Disperse
Technologies

5. Challenges for Organizations
Provider Lock-in Agile

6. Facilitating
rapid app development

7. We may want to build...

8. Real-Time Text edition

9. Real-Time Workflows

10. Real-Time Chat

11. Push notifications

12. Ubiquitous Experience

13. We may want to build...
New ad hoc applications, such as a collaborative blackboard with certain features

14. We may want to build...
An application for managing the (private) medical history and files of a patient, shared
across different hospitals and clinics, that can collaborate on its contents

15. Application
3 layered
common
architecture
User Interface
UI controller
REST API client
Network protocols
Network protocols
REST API server
Business Logic
Data Access Layer
Database
Integration

16. User Interface
UI controller
REST API client
Network protocols
Network protocols
REST API server
Business Logic
Data Access Layer
Database
Integration
SwellRT
applications
architecture

17. Backend
as a service
User Interface
UI controller
Storage
SwellRT API client
SwellRT backend server
Concurrency/RT Auth
User profiles
Search Engine Event Hub
App
Frontend

18. Backend
as a service
User Interface
UI controller
Storage
SwellRT API client
SwellRT backend server
Concurrency/RT Auth
User profiles
Search Engine Event Hub
App
Frontend

19. Storage
SwellRT backend server
Concurrency/RT Auth
User profiles
Search Engine Event Hub
New Frontend
SwellRT API client SwellRT API clientSwellRT API client
Legacy Frontend Legacy Frontend
Legacy
Backend
Legacy
Backend
Events Events

20. ● Java Backend
○ For any provider to adapt
● API for Java, JavaScript, Android, iOS*
● Integration with REST & events
● Scalable
● Microservice
Technical Features

21. Data & Privacy

22. ● Data Autonomy
○ Organization fully controls its own data
○ Privacy
● Interoperability
○ Highly interoperable
Control with Interoperability

23. Collaborative
Object
Access
Control
Rules
Privacy + Collaborative Objects

24. Object
Access
Control
Rules
Privacy + Collaborative Objects

25. Decentralized Solution

26. Framework API Framework Framework Framework
Open Source
Decentralized
Rich Text
Similar technologies

27. Centralized
Services
Decentralized / Federated
Services
Peer-to-Peer
Services
Internet: past, present and future?

28. Trust in
cryptography
Trust in
servervs
Internet: trust
Would it affect you if the cryptography is broken in 10 years?
(Federated servers)(Blockchain)

29. Internet: trust
In 10 years, I may not mind if my old chat conversations are suddenly public.
However, I would certainly mind if my patient data is suddenly public.
Trust in
cryptography
Trust in
servervs

30. swellrt.ucm.es/s+zpk87MzATiA pablojan@swellrt.ucm.es
Federation: global ID for users
UsersObjects

31. Objects shared across
servers
● Object embeds its
Access Control List
● Real-time access
● Each shared object has an owner
● Owner’s server retains master
copy, coordinates sync.
Federation: servers

32. Federation: servers
Objects shared across
servers
● Object embeds its
Access Control List
● Real-time access
● Each shared object has an owner
● Owner’s server retains master
copy, coordinates sync.

33. Origins

34. ✓ Real-time collaboration
✓ Federated
✘ Free/Open Source
✘ API
✓ Real-time collaboration
✓ Federated
✓ Free/Open Source
✘ API
✓ Real-time collaboration
✘ Federated
✘ Free/Open Source
✓ API
✓ Real-time collaboration
✓ Federated
✓ Free/Open Source
✓ API
History

35. SwellRT codebase accepted
under the umbrella of the
Apache Foundation
✓ Real-time collaboration
✓ Federated
✓ Free/Open Source
✓ API
Free / Open Source

36. ● Open Source guarantees
○ Transparency
○ Security
○ Quality Control
● No vendor lock-in
○ Multiple providers could develop using it (Java)
Free / Open Source

37. JetPad

38. ● 2008: Etherpad (Google buys it 1y later)
● 2010: Google Wave
● 2012: Google Wave dies; Google Docs re-launch (rework of Google Wave)
● 2012: Apache Wave
● 2012: Etherpad dies; Etherpad Lite
● 2013: Hackpad (Dropbox buys it 1y later)
● 2014: UCM takes Apache Wave and reworks it into SwellRT
● 2015: Dropbox launches Dropbox Paper
● 2016: Titanpad, main Pad provider, dies
● 2016: Apache Wave decides to use SwellRT codebase
● 2016: UCM launches Demo of JetPad
History of collaborative editors

39. ● Fully-fledged collaborative editor
○ Comments, bookmarks, table of contents, tables, links, fonts,
colors...
○ Professional UX
○ Privacy: Public/Private docs, Anonymous edition
○ Multi-purpose, Multi-media (images, videos)
● Latest technologies
○ Angular 2 (Sept 2016)
● Free/open-source
○ Demonstrates potential of SwellRT for collaborative applications
JetPad

40. https://demo.jetpad.net

41. ● Used as base for prototypes of citizen participation
○ Collaborative edition of laws with JetPad
● Interest from
○ Municipalities (Madrid, Barcelona)
○ Regions (France)
Interest on SwellRT & JetPad

42. ● Audrey Tang
○ Digital Agenda Minister, Taiwan
Government
○ Free/Open Source developer
○ Endorser in Mozilla Open Source Support
grant for SwellRT/Jetpad
Interest on SwellRT & JetPad

43. ● Built by UCM within FP7 CAPS P2Pvalue
● Searching funding / investors to establish Spin-off
○ Open source business models
● Launch of JetPad
○ this February
● 2 full-time developers
○ seeking larger team
● Institutional support
○ Samer Hassan & GRASIA research group (UCM)
Behind it

44. swellrt.org
@swellrt
github.com/P2Pvalue/swellrt
github.com/P2Pvalue/jetpad

45. Questions?
Samer Hassan
Berkman Klein Center at Harvard University
Universidad Complutense de Madrid
http://samer.hassan.name
@samerP2P
This presentation is a composition of text and images. The text is released as Creative Commons Attribution 4.0
International. The images are mostly copyrighted and used under Fair Use. The image logos belong to their
corresponding brands/ projects/ institutions. Sources of copyrighted images: Baran (1964), P2Pvalue, GRASIA
UCM, Wikipedia, Microsoft, Google, Trello, Slack, Medialab-Prado and unknown others