Case Study: Q Branch achieves seamless offline sync and a scalable cloud backend with Microsoft Azure

Vesper App Developers Implement Offline Sync for iOS App on Microsoft Azure Mobile Services

Q Branch, a small U.S. iOS and Mac startup best known for the Vesper note‑taking app, needed a way to stop users losing notes when devices were replaced and to enable cross‑device access and backups. The team wanted a fast, low‑cost cloud solution that preserved their open‑source workflow and required minimal server administration.

They built offline sync and cloud storage using Microsoft Azure Mobile Services (Custom API) with Azure SQL Database, a Node.js site for secure password resets, and SendGrid for transactional email. The result was a low‑maintenance, developer‑friendly backend that accelerated development, delivered seamless background syncing for users, simplified infrastructure management, and provided a scalable platform for future iPad, Mac, or web expansions.

Q Branch

John Gruber

Co-Founder and Project Lead