Improving scalability by self-archiving

The newer generation of web browsers supports the client-side database, making it possible to run the full web application stacks entirely in the web clients. Still, the server side database is indispensable as the central hub for exchanging persistent data between the web clients. Assuming this characterization, we propose a novel web application framework in which the server archives its database states at predefined periods then makes them available on the web. The clients then use these archives to synchronize their local databases. Although the main purpose is to reduce the database scalability bottleneck, this approach also promotes self-archiving and can be used for time traveling. We discuss the consistency properties provided by this framework, as well as the tradeoffs imposed.