StaticBackend - simple backend for your apps
StaticBackend is a simple backend that handles user management, database, file storage, forms, and real-time experiences via channel/topic-based communication for web and mobile applications.
You can think of it as a lightweight Firebase replacement you may self-host. No vendor lock-in, and your data stays in your control.
Table of content
- What can you build
- How it works / dev workflow
- Get started with the self-hosted version
- Documentation
- Librairies & CLI
- Examples
- Deploying in production
- Feedback & contributing
- Open source, sponsors, paid SaaS
- Spread the words
What can you build
I built StaticBackend with the mindset of someone tired of writing the same code over and over on the backend. If your application needs one or all of user management, database, file storage, real-time interactions, it should be a good fit.
I'm personally using it to build SaaS:
How it works / dev workflow
The main idea is that StaticBackend is your backend API for your frontend apps. A performant free and open-source Firebase alternative.
Note that it can also be used from your backend code as well.
Once you have an instance running and your first app created, you may install the JavaScript client-side library:
$> npm install @staticbackend/js
Let's create a user account and get a session token
and create a task
document in the tasks
collection:
import { Backend } from "@staticbackend/js";
const bkn = new Backend("your_public-key", "dev");
let token = "";
login = async () => {
const res = await bkn.login("[email protected]", "password");
if (!res.ok) {
console.error(res.content);
return;
}
token = res.content();
createTask();
}
createTask = async () => {
const task = {
desc: "Do something for XYZ",
done: false
};
const res = bkn.create(token, "tasks", task);
if (!res.ok) {
console.error(res.content);
return;
}
console.log(res.content);
}
The last console.log
prints
{
"id": "123456-unique-id",
"accountId": "aaa-bbb-unique-account-id",
"desc": "Do something for XYZ",
"done": false
}
From there you build your application using the database CRUD and query functions, the real-time component, the storage API, etc.
You may use server-side libraries for Node and Go or use an HTTP client and use your preferred language.
Get started with the self-hosted version
Click on the image above to see a video showing how to get started with the self-hosted version.
Please refer to this guide here.
We also have this blog post that also includes the above video.
If you have Docker & Docker Compose ready, here's how you can have your server up and running in dev mode in 30 seconds:
$> git clone [email protected]:staticbackendhq/core.git
$> cd core
$> cp .demo.env .env
$> docker build . -t staticbackend:latest
$> docker-compuse -f docker-compose-demo.yml up
Test your instance:
$> curl -v http://localhost:8099/db/test
You should get an error as follow:
< HTTP/1.1 401 Unauthorized
< Content-Type: text/plain; charset=utf-8
< Vary: Origin
< Vary: Access-Control-Request-Method
< Vary: Access-Control-Request-Headers
< X-Content-Type-Options: nosniff
< Date: Tue, 03 Aug 2021 11:40:15 GMT
< Content-Length: 33
<
invalid StaticBackend public key
This is normal, as you're trying to request protected API, but you're all set.
The next step is to visit http://localhost:8099 and create your first app. Please note that in dev mode you'll have to look at your docker compose output terminal to see the content of the email after creating your app.
Documentation
We're trying to have the best experience possible reading our documentation.
Please help us improve if you have any feedback.
Documentation with example using our libraries or curl:
Librairies & CLI
We provide a CLI for local development if you want to get things started without any infrastructure and for prototyping.
You can use the CLI to manage your database and form submission. This is the only interface we currently have to interact with your database, other than via code. There will be a web UI available before v1.0 is released.
We have a page listing our client-side and server-side libraries.
Examples
If you'd like to see specific examples please let us know via the Discussions tab.
Here's the examples we have created so far:
- To-do list example
- Realtime collaboration
- Live chat using server-side function & real-time component
Deploying in production
We've not written anything yet regarding deploying, but once you have the core` built into a binary and have access to MongoDB and Redis in production you should be able to deploy it like any other Go server.
We'll have documentation and an example soon for deploying to DigitalOcean.
Feedback & contributing
If you have any feedback (good or bad) we'd be more than happy to talk. Please use the Discussions tab.
Same for contributing. The easiest is to get in touch first. We're working to make it easier to contribute code. If you'd like to work on something precise let us know.
Open source, sponsors, paid SaaS
You may read here why we've decided to open source StaticBackend.
Hopefully we can start getting sponsorship so the open source version development and future is secure.
We're also offering paid subscription for a fully managed version of SB.
Spread the words
It would means the world to us if you could help us spread the words about StaticBackend. A tweet, a blog post, any visibility is helpful and I (Dominic) personally thanks you for this.
I've failed at getting any kind of traction with StaticBackend on its closed source form. I think developer tools like this need to be open source.
I believe in the product, it solves a pain I have for so long, but I'm hoping others will also get value out of it and will be excited about the project.