Base44 realtime

Multiple Users Editing Same Record Overwrite Each Other

When two team members edit the same record simultaneously in your Base44 app, the last person to save silently overwrites the first person's changes. There's no warning, no conflict detection, and no way to merge changes. Data is lost without anyone knowing until someone notices their edits disappeared.

This is a critical problem for team-oriented Base44 apps: CRM systems where multiple sales reps update the same contact, project management tools where team members update task details, and inventory systems where multiple warehouse staff modify stock counts.

The damage is often invisible. Users make changes they believe are saved, make decisions based on those changes, and only discover days later that their edits were overwritten by a colleague who was editing at the same time.

Error Messages You Might See

Record was modified by another user Conflict: this record has been updated since you loaded it Your changes were overwritten Version mismatch: expected 5, found 6
Record was modified by another userConflict: this record has been updated since you loaded itYour changes were overwrittenVersion mismatch: expected 5, found 6

Common Causes

  • Last-write-wins with no versioning — The app saves the full record on every edit, overwriting all fields including ones the user didn't change
  • No optimistic locking — There's no version number or timestamp check to detect when a record was modified by someone else between load and save
  • No real-time presence indicators — Users don't know someone else is editing the same record
  • Full record saves instead of field-level patches — Saving updates all fields, not just the ones the user changed, maximizing the chance of overwriting
  • No edit locking mechanism — There's no way to 'lock' a record while editing to prevent concurrent modifications

How to Fix It

  1. Add optimistic locking — Store a version number or updated_at timestamp on each record. Before saving, check that the version matches what was loaded. If not, warn the user
  2. Show who's currently editing — Display a real-time indicator when another user has the same record open for editing
  3. Use field-level patches — Only save the fields the user actually changed, not the entire record, to minimize conflicts
  4. Implement conflict resolution UI — When a conflict is detected, show the user both versions and let them choose which changes to keep
  5. Add edit locking — When a user opens a record for editing, lock it for other users with a timeout (e.g., 5 minutes)

Real developers can help you.

Matt Butler Matt Butler Software Engineer @ AWS ISHANTDEEP SINGH ISHANTDEEP SINGH Senior Software Engineer with 7+ years of experience in React, JavaScript, TypeScript, Next.js, and Node.js. I’ve also worked as a tech lead for startups, owning end-to-end technical execution including architecture, development, scaling, and delivery. I bring a strong mix of hands-on coding, product thinking, and technical leadership, and I’m comfortable building products from scratch as well as improving and scaling existing systems. Basel Issmail Basel Issmail ’m a Senior Full-Stack Developer and Tech Lead with experience designing and building scalable web platforms. I work across the full development lifecycle, from translating business requirements into technical architecture to delivering reliable production systems. My work focuses on modern web technologies, including TypeScript, Angular, Node.js, and cloud-based architectures. I enjoy solving complex technical problems and helping teams turn product ideas and prototypes into working platforms that can grow and scale. In addition to development, I often collaborate closely with product managers, business analysts, designers, and QA teams to ensure that solutions align with both technical and business goals. I enjoy working with startups and product teams where I can contribute both as a hands-on engineer and as a technical partner in designing and delivering impactful software. Franck Plazanet Franck Plazanet I am a Strategic Engineering Leader with over 8 years of experience building high-availability enterprise systems and scaling high-performing technical teams. My focus is on bridging the gap between complex technology and business growth. Core Expertise: 🚀 Leadership: Managing and coaching teams of 15+ engineers, fostering a culture of accountability and continuous improvement. 🏗️ Architecture: Enterprise Core Systems, Multi-system Integration (ERP/API/ETL), and Core Database Structure. ☁️ Cloud & Scale: AWS Expert; architected systems handling 10B+ monthly requests and managing 100k+ SKUs. 📈 Business Impact: Aligning tech strategy with P&L goals to drive $70k+ in monthly recurring revenue. I thrive on "out-of-the-box" thinking to solve complex technical bottlenecks and am always looking for ways to use automation to improve business productivity. Krishna Sai Kuncha Krishna Sai Kuncha Experienced Professional Full stack Developer with 8+ years of experience across react, python, js, ts, golang and react-native. Developed inhouse websearch tooling for AI before websearch was solved : ) Yovel Cohen Yovel Cohen I got a lot of experience in building Long-horizon AI Agents in production, Backend apps that scale to millions of users and frontend knowledge as well. Jen Jacobsen Jen Jacobsen I’m a Full-Stack Developer with over 10 years of experience building modern web and mobile applications. I enjoy working across the full product lifecycle — turning ideas into real, well-built products that are intuitive for users and scalable for businesses. I particularly enjoy building mobile apps, modern web platforms, and solving complex technical problems in a way that keeps systems clean, reliable, and easy to maintain. Jacek Rozanski Jacek Rozanski Senior PHP/Symfony developer and DevOps engineer with 20+ years of professional experience, running opcode.pl (web development agency, est. 2004). 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What I bring to AI-built apps: - I audit and fix security issues (OWASP methodology), performance bottlenecks, and architectural problems in codebases generated by Cursor, Claude Code, Lovable, Bolt, and v0 - I refactor AI-generated prototypes into production-grade applications with proper error handling, testing, and clean architecture (SOLID, DDD, hexagonal architecture) - I set up the infrastructure AI tools don't touch: AWS hosting, CI/CD pipelines, automated deployments, database optimization, monitoring, and alerting - I integrate external services: payment providers, email systems, partner APIs, SSO/auth Tech stack: PHP 8.x, Symfony, React, Next.js, PostgreSQL, MySQL, Docker, AWS (ECS, RDS, S3, SQS/SNS, CloudFront), Terraform, Supabase. I also use AI tools daily (Claude Code, Cursor) in my own workflow, so I understand both the strengths and the gaps in AI-generated code. Based in Poland (CET timezone). Available for async work and calls during EU/US business hours. Meïr Ankri Meïr Ankri Full-stack developer specializing in React / Next.js / Node.js with 6+ years of experience. I've worked across various sectors including automotive (Reezocar/Société Générale), healthcare (Medical Link SaaS), and e-commerce (Glasman). I build web apps end-to-end, from architecture to production, with a focus on scalability, performance, and code quality. I also mentor junior developers and contribute to technical decisions and code reviews. Kingsley Omage Kingsley Omage Fullstack software engineer passionate about AI Agents, blockchain, LLMs.

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Frequently Asked Questions

How do I prevent users from overwriting each other's changes?

Add a version number or updated_at timestamp to your records. Before saving, check that the version hasn't changed since the user loaded the record. If it has, show a conflict warning and let the user review the other person's changes.

Is real-time collaborative editing possible in Base44?

Full real-time collaboration (like Google Docs) requires WebSocket connections and operational transforms, which is complex. A simpler approach is showing who's currently editing a record and using optimistic locking to detect and resolve conflicts at save time.

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