Swipe App began as a small proof-of-concept to explore **Swiper.js**, **background workers**, and **browser caching**.
It’s a simple **Progressive Web App (PWA)** that lets you plug in any feed URL and swipe through posts like you would on Instagram or TikTok. The twist? The feed doesn’t come from a single social-media platform — it comes from **whatever server you choose**.
The app downloads a batch of posts, stores them locally, and quietly preloads the next few as you swipe. That means smooth transitions, instant loading, and even offline browsing. When storage fills up, the oldest posts are cleared automatically.
There’s also a companion “Swipe Server” prototype — currently just a minimal API with no interface — which will eventually link with our **Published CMS**, a Laravel-based publishing framework. Posts created there could appear directly inside this mobile-friendly swipe interface.
You can try the demo now on GitLab Pages. One feed pulls real event photos from the London Fetish Scene site (built with Published CMS); two others just grab random web images for testing.
What started as a curiosity — a way to learn how browsers handle offline storage and prefetching — might turn into a new approach to **open, feed-based publishing**. Anyone can host a feed. Anyone can subscribe. No central gatekeepers.
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### A Proof of Concept for Decentralized, Mobile-First Feeds
Swipe App has since evolved into a broader experiment in **decentralized content delivery** and **mobile-first UX**.
Built entirely with **Swiper.js**, it’s designed for a fast, native-like browsing experience. Users simply enter a web address, and the app connects to that feed, retrieves the latest posts, and stores them for offline use. As they swipe through, Swipe App preloads upcoming items so there’s never a loading delay.
Although still a prototype, the project tests two key ideas:
1. **Decentralized retrieval** — the client fetches directly from chosen sources rather than a central server.
2. **Optimized offline experience** — content is pre-downloaded, keeping performance instant even without a network.
Behind the scenes, the app maintains a rolling cache of about 50 items and can refresh instantly when a server signals new posts.
The long-term goal is to integrate it with **Published CMS**, which organizes user-generated content while remaining agnostic about presentation. Swipe App provides that presentation — a sleek, mobile, swipe-based interface that matches how modern audiences consume information.
A basic demo is already live, and while the **Swipe Server** remains a bare-bones database for now, the direction is clear:
> A lightweight, installable client that treats every feed as its own channel — fast, offline-capable, and fully decentralized.
In short, Swipe App explores what social media could look like **if control and presentation returned to the user** — your device, your feed, your data.
It’s a simple **Progressive Web App (PWA)** that lets you plug in any feed URL and swipe through posts like you would on Instagram or TikTok. The twist? The feed doesn’t come from a single social-media platform — it comes from **whatever server you choose**.
The app downloads a batch of posts, stores them locally, and quietly preloads the next few as you swipe. That means smooth transitions, instant loading, and even offline browsing. When storage fills up, the oldest posts are cleared automatically.
There’s also a companion “Swipe Server” prototype — currently just a minimal API with no interface — which will eventually link with our **Published CMS**, a Laravel-based publishing framework. Posts created there could appear directly inside this mobile-friendly swipe interface.
You can try the demo now on GitLab Pages. One feed pulls real event photos from the London Fetish Scene site (built with Published CMS); two others just grab random web images for testing.
What started as a curiosity — a way to learn how browsers handle offline storage and prefetching — might turn into a new approach to **open, feed-based publishing**. Anyone can host a feed. Anyone can subscribe. No central gatekeepers.
---
### A Proof of Concept for Decentralized, Mobile-First Feeds
Swipe App has since evolved into a broader experiment in **decentralized content delivery** and **mobile-first UX**.
Built entirely with **Swiper.js**, it’s designed for a fast, native-like browsing experience. Users simply enter a web address, and the app connects to that feed, retrieves the latest posts, and stores them for offline use. As they swipe through, Swipe App preloads upcoming items so there’s never a loading delay.
Although still a prototype, the project tests two key ideas:
1. **Decentralized retrieval** — the client fetches directly from chosen sources rather than a central server.
2. **Optimized offline experience** — content is pre-downloaded, keeping performance instant even without a network.
Behind the scenes, the app maintains a rolling cache of about 50 items and can refresh instantly when a server signals new posts.
The long-term goal is to integrate it with **Published CMS**, which organizes user-generated content while remaining agnostic about presentation. Swipe App provides that presentation — a sleek, mobile, swipe-based interface that matches how modern audiences consume information.
A basic demo is already live, and while the **Swipe Server** remains a bare-bones database for now, the direction is clear:
> A lightweight, installable client that treats every feed as its own channel — fast, offline-capable, and fully decentralized.
In short, Swipe App explores what social media could look like **if control and presentation returned to the user** — your device, your feed, your data.