MongoDB Atlas App Services, Atlas Device Sync, and the Atlas Device SDKs reached end of life on September 30, 2025. The local-first ideas that made Realm useful did not stop being useful on that date.
Teams still need instant local reads, offline writes, live results, and a clean way to sync when the network returns. The real question is who controls that stack and how long it can be maintained.
What BarqDB keeps
BarqDB is an independent project derived from Realm projects. Its Apache-2.0 core and SDKs keep the object database model, local files, live query results, migrations, and optional sync.
BarqDB removes Atlas App Services, MongoDB and BSON dependencies, and the old login layer. Sync users are created from JWTs issued by your own identity provider.
Plan the move in layers
Start with the local database API and schema differences. Then test file migration, query behaviour, and listeners. Treat sync and authentication as a separate move because the server and identity model change.
BarqDB does not claim to be a drop-in replacement. Use the platform status and tested SDK guides before choosing a migration path.