Why I refused to build a database for TimeSync
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Moe Hachem - February 23, 2026
Here’s why I refused to build a database for my free-to-use utility app, TimeSync:
In 2025, the default move is: “Sign up with Google.”
Then we store emails we don’t need, collect data we’ll never use, and inflate risk: GDPR, CCPA, breaches, liability.
For TimeSync, I did the opposite.
I went stateless.
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The URL is the database: It stores and encodes team setup + timezones + availability into the link.
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Local persistence: Saved teams live in your browser, not my server. I don’t need to know if you’re inviting Peter at 6:00PM to a meeting, or if he’s supposed to sign-off work. That’s your problem.
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Zero backend: No database bills, no scaling worries, no user data to leak.
For me: It’s cheaper + simpler + less liability.
For users: Zero friction. You click a link and it works.
This is the advice I give startups constantly:
Sometimes the best database is no database, especially if your use-case doesn’t actually need one.
