Ask HN: What are some no-code tools for the back end?

9 points by askjdlkasdjsd 5 years ago | 8 comments

Off the top of my head, I would love an add-on kind of tool that I can point to my database and all manner of CRUD APIs are generated and managed by the tool itself. Although I'm speaking as a developer.

Just brainstorming here, what kind of no-code tools can exist for the backend?

- Simplified drag-drop schema builder

- CRUD API generator on top of the above

- Templatized plug-and-play schemas for common use cases, role based user access capabilities, teams, billing system, feature based pricing etc. <-- All of these really have the same-ish playbook in every tech stack, might make sense to abstract it out in a nocode tool

What other nocode tools can be built for the backend? I'm specifically talking about backend only, since this is likely the hardest area for nocode to tackle, it would be like automating all of software development itself, or at least laying the groundwork to begin with.

Keep in mind I'm talking strictly about the no-code audience (which means no code at all, no/optional SQL, no tech stack, nothing, no tech stuff - only tools that can be used easily by the 99.7% of humans that don't code)

xgenecloud 5 years ago |

Not exactly no-code, but the spirit is the same in what we are building at XgeneCloud. Via our GUI you can scaffold most of the repeatable code that is required in any backend and modify it to your business needs from there on.

* https://github.com/xgenecloud/xgenecloud

* Demo link : https://youtu.be/gEU-QvmwSKQ (Creating CRUD APIs via GUI for a MySQL database)

* So by just pointing to a database via a GUI, you can generate CRUD-Aggregation APIs (REST/GraphQL) automatically for any given database. It has built in GUI to edit and manage schemas and access control as well.

benjaminjosephw 5 years ago |

You're talking about a "strictly no-code audience" who are just building backends? That'd be a very strange situation if you asked me since audiences that are somewhat technical in the first place are usually not put off by a little bit of optional code.

Here are a few products that are close but not spot on:

* https://parabola.io/

* https://useparagon.com/

* https://n8n.io/

mattbrewsbytes 5 years ago |

For people that don't code, I think what you're describing they know as MS Excel. They don't know what a schema is and possibly can't define what user roles would be for what they need.

Generated code is great to start with and then someone requests a change to do something, for example add a column, and you need someone to maintain that code from the database thru the backend up to the UI to add that column.

I think no-code is really geared towards verticals and not a generic base of an application.

sh461 5 years ago |

Where's the demand for such a tool? If you have the experience and understanding to build a good back-end with a no-code tool, then you're already at a point where working with code isn't a problem for you.

jacobwilliamroy 5 years ago | |

Usually to streamline certain oft-repeated tasks. The audience for such tools is not people who dont know how to build them, it's people who know how to build them but dont have time, which is very common condition for people working in computers.

shanecleveland 5 years ago |

Does the need for some front end JS meet your criteria? If so, an interesting one is https://userbase.com.

jacobwilliamroy 5 years ago |

Ethernet Cable

Switch

Box cutter

RJ45 crimper

thelastinuit 5 years ago | |

ROFL