Hybrid development meets offline-first reliability
We’re thrilled to announce the release of Couchbase Lite for Ionic Capacitor 1.0! This marks an exciting step for developers building modern hybrid apps that need to work seamlessly offline and sync smoothly online. This release builds on Couchbase Lite 3.2.2 and addresses key outstanding issues, making it easier than ever to bring database power to your Ionic apps.
Whether you’re working with Angular, React, or Vue, now’s the perfect time to try it out. When you combine Couchbase Lite with Ionic Capacitor, you unlock the ability to build cross-platform apps with local persistence, sync capabilities, and full offline-first functionality—using the web technologies you already know.
Couchbase Lite + Ionic Capacitor
Ionic Capacitor is a modern native runtime for web apps that allows developers to build high-performance mobile applications using HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. With Capacitor, you gain access to native device functionality while maintaining a web-centric development experience. When you combine this with Couchbase Lite—an embedded NoSQL database designed to be local-first—you get an incredibly resilient, scalable, and responsive foundation for mobile apps.
Couchbase Lite operates directly on the device. It stores data locally in an encrypted format and enables applications to query that data using SQL++ or Full-Text Search (FTS). More importantly, it supports bi-directional data replication with Couchbase Capella or Couchbase Sync Gateway over WebSockets, which means you can build apps that continue working even in remote or low-connectivity environments.
This pairing is ideal for a wide range of use cases—from field service tools and inventory systems to mobile point-of-sale apps. Developers can provide instant responsiveness and a consistent experience regardless of the network state.
Migrating from Cordova to Capacitor
If you’re already using our Ionic Cordova plugin, migrating to Capacitor is a smooth and simple process. Most Cordova plugins work out of the box with Capacitor, and only minimal adjustments are needed to align with its modern APIs. This makes it easy to upgrade your app and take advantage of Capacitor’s improved performance, streamlined native access, and long-term support.
Important notes
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- Platform Support: This plugin works only with iOS and Android platforms. Web support is not available.
- Enterprise Licensing: The version of this plugin is based on Couchbase Lite Enterprise Edition for iOS and Android. It is not compatible with Couchbase Lite Community Edition. A license is required to use Couchbase Lite Enterprise Edition.
- Support: Couchbase Lite for Ionic Capacitor is an open-source community supported project that follows the Integrations Support Model. The plugin serves primarily as a JavaScript bindings layer, with the core functionality handled by Couchbase Lite.
Getting started with Couchbase Lite for Ionic Capacitor
Getting started with the Couchbase Lite Ionic Capacitor plugin is simple, whether you’re building a new app or enhancing an existing one with offline-first capabilities.
Travel Sample App
Using the Ionic Capacitor plugin is straightforward. You can start an application from scratch that utilizes the Couchbase Ionic Capacitor capabilities following this guide. You can also add it to your existing projects by going through the Installation, Build and Run parts of our documentation.
To see a working example in action, check out our Travel Sample App, built specifically for Ionic Capacitor with Couchbase Lite 3.2.2 on Android and iOS. This app showcases seamless data replication using the travel sample dataset and demonstrates how to implement local storage, sync with the backend, and manage data reliably across connectivity states.
If you prefer a more visual, hands-on walkthrough, this video tutorial (below) is an excellent starting point. It walks you through building a basic offline-first Ionic app with React, shows how to perform essential CRUD operations using Couchbase Lite, and explains how to enable data synchronization with Couchbase Capella App Services. Best of all, it uses the free tier of Capella, so you can experiment without any upfront cost.
With just a few steps, you can set up a fully functional hybrid app with a local database and real-time data sync—ready for real-world use cases.
Resources for developers
To get started, explore the following resources tailored for Couchbase Lite with Ionic Capacitor:
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- CBL Ionic Capacitor Documentation: Comprehensive prerequisites, installation and API references documentation.
- Ionic Capacitor: Official documentation for the Ionic cross-platform native runtime for web apps.
- Capella App Services free tier lets you connect Ionic Capacitor apps to a powerful backend for real-time sync and offline capabilities. It’s perfect for testing end-to-end functionality and building apps with seamless device-to-cloud sync at no cost.
- Help and Support: Join the Discord community to ask any questions you might have and receive support. You can also do that at our community Couchbase Mobile forums.
Conclusions
Couchbase Lite for Ionic Capacitor 1.0 empowers developers to create powerful hybrid apps with offline-first capabilities, seamless data sync, and modern tools like Capacitor. Whether you’re building enterprise-grade solutions or consumer apps, the combination of Couchbase Lite, Ionic, and Capacitor provides the versatility and reliability needed for success.
Ready to get started? Explore the documentation, try out the Travel Sample App, or take advantage of the Capella App Services Free Tier to test your app end-to-end. Join the Couchbase Mobile Discord community or forums to ask questions and share your progress.
Take your hybrid app development to the next level with Couchbase Lite and Ionic today!