Requirements for HTTPS for Local Domains

When connecting to servers on their local network, users are surprised to encounter user interfaces that display errors, show insecure connections, and block some HTTP features when missing a secure context. However, obtaining PKIX certificates for those servers is difficult for a variety of reasons. This document explores requirements for authenticating local servers.

Zero is Not Local-First. It's Better.

Zero's partial sync approach gives us more control, better performance, and fewer headaches when building apps with lots of data. Here's why, and how I've been using it.

The Core Tech Behind Datum's Desktop App

We built an app to expose your localhost to a public HTTPS URL, here's how it's built and what we learned along the way.

LocalFirst: You Keep Using That Word

If you’ve been following the local-first scene over the past few years, you already know a good definition for the term “local-first” is hard to pin down. Part of the reason is that most people write software for money … and true local-first software is harder to capitalize. “Local-first” is a direct attack on vendor lock-in of all forms: data, formats, protocols, apps, services, and even environments. But the fact your employer can’t exploit this technology with a new revenue model (yet) is a minor problem.

Certificates for localhost

Sometimes people want to get a certificate for the hostname “localhost”, either for use in local development, or for distribution with a native application that needs to communicate with a web application. Let’s Encrypt can’t provide certificates for “localhost” because nobody uniquely owns it, and it’s not rooted in a top level domain like “.com” or “.net”. It’s possible to set up your own domain name that happens to resolve to 127.0.0.1, and get a certificate for it using the DNS challenge. However, this is generally a bad idea and there are better options.

savearoundtrip

Publish an HTTPS DNS record. Let browsers reach HTTP/3 on the first connection instead of wasting a round trip.

The Architecture Of Local-First Web Development — Smashing Magazine

An honest perspective on building local-first web apps in 2026, written for developers who’ve been doing this long enough to be skeptical of silver bullets.

LocalPDS - Chrome Web Store

LocalPDS is a Personal Data Server that runs in your browser

mess with dns

It's fun to learn by experimenting and breaking things! Here you can do weird DNS experiments with no consequences if you mess something up.

dietrich (@burrito.space)

@why.bsky.team how locked to the http+dns+ssl nexus of publisher-centric control is atproto? i see https noted briefly in xrpc docs. how local+offline and transport agnostic can we get here? bluetooth / mdns / laser / pigeon transports possible?

federate.network - the door to the Federate Network

Join the Federate Network in three minutes: one DNS setting, then open home.fed. A human web, built by people.