---
type: concept
tags: [parking, constraint, foundational]
sources: [parking-system-architecture]
updated: 2026-06-14
---

# Offline-First

One of the **two foundational forces** shaping the whole system (the other is the
[[threat-model]]). (See [[parking-system-architecture]] §1.)

A park may have **no internet, intermittent connectivity, or be fully air-gapped**. **Nothing
in the core operation may depend on a network being present.**

## What it forces

- **Local auth** — no external identity provider; hence [[local-jwt-auth]] and the rejection of
  [[logto-zitadel-oidc]].
- **Local database** — [[sqlite]] on-site; remote PostgreSQL is a *deferred*, optional sync
  target, never a runtime dependency.
- **Autonomous device decisions** where possible — [[wiegand]]-into-controller lets the
  [[uhppote-controller]] decide even if the host is down; [[lpr-camera]] uses edge AI so
  recognition runs with no internet.

## What it does NOT mean

Offline-first does **not** mean "no [[reconciliation]]." It means **deferred, intermittent**
reconciliation — a manager's weekly USB stick, a daily phone hotspot, a monthly export. Only
design for "never, by anyone" if that's genuinely true (see [[reconciliation]] for the
network-free fallback controls).