What is Azure Fluid Relay?
Azure Fluid Relay is a managed service for building real-time collaborative applications. It handles the complex synchronization logic needed when multiple users edit shared data simultaneously, providing automatic conflict resolution and low-latency updates.
The service is based on the open-source Fluid Framework, which powers collaboration features in Microsoft 365 apps like Loop and Whiteboard. With Fluid Relay, you get the same enterprise-grade infrastructure without managing servers.
Core Features
- Real-time sync: Changes propagate to all connected clients within milliseconds
- Automatic conflict resolution: Built-in operational transform ensures data consistency
- Distributed data structures: Maps, sequences, and text types for different use cases
- Presence awareness: See where other users are working in real-time
- Offline support: Queue changes locally and sync when connectivity returns
Typical Use Cases
Fluid Relay is ideal for applications where multiple users work on the same content simultaneously. Common scenarios include collaborative text editors, shared design canvases, real-time forms, and interactive presentations where changes need to appear instantly across all participants.
Benefits
- No backend infrastructure to maintain for real-time sync
- Sub-second latency for global collaboration
- Proven technology from Microsoft 365
- Native TypeScript/JavaScript SDK for web apps
Frequently Asked Questions
How does Fluid Relay differ from SignalR?
SignalR broadcasts messages to clients but doesn’t manage shared state. Fluid Relay maintains synchronized data structures with automatic conflict resolution, making it easier to build collaborative apps without custom merge logic.
What data structures are available?
Fluid provides SharedMap for key-value storage, SharedString for collaborative text, SharedSequence for ordered lists, and SharedCounter for numeric values that multiple users can increment.
Can I use Fluid Relay with React or Vue?
Yes. The Fluid Framework provides JavaScript/TypeScript libraries that integrate with any frontend framework. There are community-maintained bindings for React that simplify state management.
What happens when users make conflicting edits?
Fluid uses operational transformation to automatically resolve conflicts. Changes are ordered and merged deterministically so all clients reach the same final state without manual intervention.
Integration with innFactory
As a Microsoft Solutions Partner, innFactory helps you build real-time collaborative features with Azure Fluid Relay: architecture design, SDK integration, and production deployment.
