Thread by @csuwildcat

Let's talk about the future of 'serverless' apps:

There's growing excitement among devs about writing backend code via 'serverless' provider services. While it's definitely cool to run backend code w/ less management hassle, is that the best 'serverless' approach we can muster?

I think we can do better: a large % of apps could ditch backend code altogether, if only there was a standard/common way to store their app's data with users, automatically persistent their app's data across devices/infra, and CRUD/query it just as they would any other backend.

How would it work? Surprise, surprise: the key is decentralized identity technology --> one key component of decentralized identity tech is something called a personal datastore. It's basically your devices + a set of cloud endpoints working together as a replicated personal mesh

With a standard personal datastore and APIs in hand, a new type of app model is possible: devs can create clientside-only apps that acquire permission to write to a user's personal datastore/mesh, and they don't even need to know the provider of the instances the user has chosen.

The result is a class of app that stores, queries, and renders its experience based on data that resides with you, under your control, encrypted and secure from providers and third parties who often use app data in ways the violate the user's expectations of privacy and security.

Decentralized identity isn't just about login/creds, it's a fundamental recentering of storage/compute around the user. Things like Google Keep, Medium, messaging, photos, and calendars will one day be coded as clientside apps that write their data to a user's personal datastore.

So you want 'serverless'? How about a future where you write 0 serverside code and deliver the same experience, all while radically advancing the privacy and security of users? That's the future I believe in - that's the future we're working towards at Microsoft.