API Maker

The backend engine for the AI era

Video library · API Maker v4

Learn API Maker by watching it work

Every feature on the real admin panel, with real data: from your first API to clusters in production. Short videos, one topic each, with chapters and a transcript.

  • 76videos
  • 7 h 30 minto watch
  • 12topics
  • captions and transcripts
Start here Browse by topic
Trailer · 0:58API Maker v4: Months of Backend Work, Done in Minutes

8 videos · 52 min

Your first hour

New to API Maker? Start here: what it is and how it works, the whole product in one demo, and the two ways to install it: on your computer with Launchpad, or on your own server with one command. Then your first API, called from a web or mobile app, and a tour of the admin panel.

  1. 1:48Introduction

    What Is API Maker? The Backend Engine for the AI Era

    1:48
  2. 6:56Architecture

    How API Maker Works: The Life of a Request, from Your App to Your Data

    6:56 11 chapters
  3. 8:34Full demo

    API Maker v4 Full Demo: Six Databases, One Backend, Every API

    8:34 23 chapters
  4. 8:57Launchpad

    Run API Maker on Your Computer with Launchpad, in One Click

    8:57 13 chapters
  5. 8:06Install

    Install API Maker v4 on Ubuntu with One Command

    8:06 10 chapters
  6. 5:44Quick start

    Your First API in 10 Minutes: The API Maker Quick Start

    5:44 14 chapters
  7. 7:36Web and mobile

    Call Your API Maker APIs from a Web or Mobile App: Tokens, CORS, Errors and Types

    7:36 14 chapters
  8. 3:59Panel tour

    API Maker Admin Panel Tour: Find Any Page in Two Keystrokes

    3:59 12 chapters

The "Start here" playlist

12 topics

Pick a topic

Each playlist covers one job, from the first click to production. Watch it in order, or jump to the video you need.

73 videos · 7 h 19 minAPI Maker v4: the complete courseEvery feature of API Maker v4, one video each, on the real admin panel with the data of Calm Home, an online shop on six databases. Follow it in order, or jump to the topic you need.Take the course

Databases & schemas

Connect MongoDB, MySQL, MariaDB, PostgreSQL, SQL Server and Oracle; create databases and tables in the panel; vectors, JSON, bytes, shapes and intervals as plain JSON; schemas checked on every write; encryption, ids and concurrency; relations across engines and the ER diagram.6 videos · 37 min

Generated APIs

The APIs every table gets without code: one query language for six databases, writes, master save, deep populate, virtual fields, find and join across databases, and request headers that shape every answer.9 videos · 45 min

Custom APIs & code

Your logic as live APIs: custom APIs in eight languages, one standard for errors and validation, hidden gems from uploads to caching, hooks before and after every API, system APIs, utility classes and process initializers.7 videos · 41 min

Events & realtime

React to anything with events, push live data over WebSockets from the same server as your APIs, and run jobs on a clock without a cron server.3 videos · 15 min

Security & access

Who may call what: access types, API users and groups, auth providers and single sign-on, roles and row ownership, the APIs Security Report that fixes what it finds, and the security features that ship with the server.6 videos · 43 min

Performance

Fast by default: automatic caching in Redis, Index Maker and automatic indexes for slow queries, API Maker measured live on a five dollar server, and more servers behind one address when one is not enough.5 videos · 33 min

Migrations & tenants

Database migrations once per environment, one set of APIs with a database per tenant, error messages in every language, and database names masked per account.4 videos · 18 min

Testing & debugging

The API Testing page, test cases with mocks and coverage, and debugging from a failing call to the line that broke.5 videos · 33 min

Developer workflow

Your own editor in sync with API Maker, AI assistants held to one standard, Git integration, a workspace for every developer, and the developer tools of the panel.5 videos · 22 min

Run in production

Installations, accounts and settings; analytics, logs and the Log Explorer; sandboxes and runtimes; upgrades of every server from one page; a new server in one command; many servers behind one address; and what changes when you move from API Maker 3.9 videos · 59 min

SSR websites

Websites rendered by the server next to your data: pages in TSX, loaders, forms and sign-in, page cache, SEO and images, and a whole storefront on four databases.4 videos · 24 min

Launchpad

The desktop app that runs API Maker on your computer and on your own servers: projects, databases, your editor in sync, clusters designed on a canvas, day two in production, and servers of API Maker 3 moved to v4 in place.8 videos · 57 min

The whole library

Every video

Search by name, or narrow it to one topic.

All 76 videos, from the first steps to production

0:58Trailer

API Maker v4: Months of Backend Work, Done in Minutes

0:581:48Introduction

What Is API Maker? The Backend Engine for the AI Era

1:488:34Full demo

API Maker v4 Full Demo: Six Databases, One Backend, Every API

8:34 23 chapters6:56Architecture

How API Maker Works: The Life of a Request, from Your App to Your Data

6:56 11 chapters8:57Launchpad

Run API Maker on Your Computer with Launchpad, in One Click

8:57 13 chapters8:06Install

Install API Maker v4 on Ubuntu with One Command

8:06 10 chapters5:44Quick start

Your First API in 10 Minutes: The API Maker Quick Start

5:44 14 chapters7:36Web and mobile

Call Your API Maker APIs from a Web or Mobile App: Tokens, CORS, Errors and Types

7:36 14 chapters3:59Panel tour

API Maker Admin Panel Tour: Find Any Page in Two Keystrokes

3:59 12 chapters5:46Databases

Connect 6 Databases and Get REST APIs for Every Table

5:46 11 chapters11:06Table designer

Create Databases and Tables in the Panel: One Designer, Six Engines

11:06 16 chapters5:08Data types

Vectors, JSON, Bytes, Shapes and Intervals Through One REST API, on Six Databases

5:08 11 chapters5:43Schemas

Table Schemas in TypeScript, Checked on Every Write

5:43 13 chapters5:34Data safety

Encrypted and Hashed Fields, Auto Increment and Optimistic Locking

5:34 10 chapters4:07ER diagram

Relations Across Databases and the ER Diagram

4:07 9 chapters4:19Generated APIs

Instant REST APIs for Every Table: A Tour of the Generated APIs

4:19 12 chapters5:01Read APIs

One Query Language for Six Databases: find, select, sort, aggregate

5:01 10 chapters3:25Write APIs

Save, Update and Remove on Any Database with the Same API Calls

3:25 8 chapters3:16Master save

Master Save: Write a Tree of Rows Across Databases in One Call

3:16 9 chapters8:43Deep populate

Deep Populate: Join Data Across Six Databases in One API Call

8:43 8 chapters4:51Virtual fields

Virtual Fields: One-to-Many Relations Across Databases

4:51 11 chapters4:16Find and join

Filter by a Related Table, Even in Another Database: Find and Join

4:16 12 chapters3:51Request headers

Shape Every API Answer with Request Headers: camelCase, XML, YAML, Flat

3:51 8 chapters5:14Custom APIs

Your First Custom API: From a Function to a Live Endpoint

5:14 12 chapters9:04Custom APIs

Custom APIs on One Standard: Validation, Standard Errors, Fast Fixes

9:04 9 chapters6:52Custom APIs

Custom API Gems: Uploads, Downloads, npm Packages, a Browser, Caching

6:52 12 chapters4:44Languages

One API in 8 Languages: TypeScript, Python, PHP, C#, Go, Rust, Java, Kotlin

4:44 8 chapters6:01Hooks

API Hooks: Run Your Code Before and After Every API

6:01 11 chapters4:31System APIs

System APIs: Encryption, Hashing, Tokens and Redis, Ready to Call

4:31 10 chapters4:48Utility classes

Utility Classes and Process Initializers: Shared Code, Loaded Once

4:48 9 chapters4:23Events

Event-Driven APIs: React to Saves, Code and HTTP Calls

4:23 9 chapters4:06WebSockets

WebSockets Without a Realtime Server: Push Live Data from Your APIs

4:06 9 chapters6:10Schedulers

Schedulers: Cron Jobs Without a Cron Server

6:10 13 chapters6:05Authorization

API Authorization Without Auth Code: Access Types, API Users, Groups

6:05 12 chapters7:25Auth providers

Sign-In for Your Users: DB Token Generator, Custom Tokens and SSO

7:25 13 chapters5:15Roles

Role-Based Access and Row Ownership: Users See Only Their Own Data

5:15 10 chapters11:21Security report

APIs Security Report: Find Data Leaks and Fix Them in One Click

11:21 19 chapters8:41Code scan

Scan Your API Code for Leaks in 8 Languages, Fix It in One Click

8:41 12 chapters4:29Security

Secure by Default: Encrypted APIs, Allowed Origins, Two-Step Sign-In

4:29 10 chapters4:51Caching

Automatic API Caching with Redis: One Setting, Under a Millisecond

4:51 11 chapters8:49Index Maker

Index Maker: Find Slow Queries and Create the Right Index, 6 Databases

8:49 13 chapters8:14Automatic indexes

Automatic Indexes: Index Maker Indexes Your Database on Its Own

8:14 11 chapters6:22Migrations

Database Migrations in TypeScript or Python, Once per Environment

6:22 11 chapters4:37Multi-tenant

Multi-Tenant APIs: One Set of APIs, a Database per Tenant

4:37 9 chapters3:56i18n

Translate API Error Messages into Every Language with One Header

3:56 9 chapters3:28Masking

Database Name Masking: One Name in Code, Any Database per Developer

3:28 9 chapters5:45API Testing

API Testing in the Panel: Call, Debug, Export and Share Any API

5:45 11 chapters5:48Test cases

Test Cases with Mocks and Code Coverage for Your Custom APIs

5:48 12 chapters7:04Test cases in depth

Mocks That Fail, Count and Compute : Test Cases in 8 Languages and in CI

7:04 14 chapters6:13Coverage

Code Coverage of Backend Tests in Eight Languages

6:13 14 chapters8:32Debugging

Debug an API from the Failing Call to the Line That Broke

8:32 12 chapters3:46Local client

Code Your Backend in VS Code: Two-Way Sync with the Local Client

3:46 10 chapters3:48AI assistants

Build Your Backend with AI Assistants That Follow One Standard

3:48 10 chapters5:50Git

Git Integration: Branches, Commits, Pull and Deploy Hooks for Your Backend

5:50 11 chapters3:24Dev accounts

Developer Accounts: A Workspace for Every Developer on One Server

3:24 8 chapters5:50Root & admins

Root User, Admin Accounts and Installation Settings Explained

5:50 13 chapters5:01Management API

Create API Maker Accounts from Your Own Code: The Management API for SaaS

5:01 11 chapters11:53Analytics

API Analytics and Monitoring Built In: RED Metrics, p95, Apdex, Live

11:53 18 chapters5:14Logging

API Logging and the Log Explorer: Search Any Call, Follow Them Live

5:14 11 chapters5:20Sandboxes

Sandboxes, Runtimes and Packages: Where Your Code Runs

5:20 10 chapters6:07Deploy

Upgrade Every Server from One Page: Deploy API Maker Safely

6:07 12 chapters5:33SSR websites

Server-Side Rendered Websites with API Maker: First Steps in TSX

5:33 12 chapters6:55SSR websites

SSR Websites: Loaders, Forms with CSRF and Customer Sign-In

6:55 13 chapters6:36SSR websites

SSR Websites: Page Cache, SEO, Sitemaps, Images and a Custom Domain

6:36 10 chapters4:53SSR storefront

A Real Online Store on Four Databases, Rendered by API Maker

4:53 11 chapters4:55Developer tools

Developer Tools: Code Finder, Swagger, Redis Dashboard and Shortcuts

4:55 11 chapters4:57Why Rust

Why Rust: API Maker Load-Tested Live on a $5 Server

4:57 12 chapters6:26Scale out

Scale Out a Backend: Many API Maker Servers Behind One Load Balancer

6:26 12 chapters7:10Launchpad

Databases on Your Computer: 8 Engines, Any Version, One Click

7:10 10 chapters6:06Launchpad

Many Projects on One Computer: Tabs, Settings and Your Editor in Sync

6:06 9 chapters6:14Cloud mode

Launchpad: Deploy API Maker to Your Own Servers over SSH

6:14 10 chapters6:56Clusters

Design Clusters on a Canvas: Replica Sets, Galera, Gateways and HTTPS

6:56 13 chapters7:15Day two

Launchpad Day Two: Upgrades, Health, Logs and Moving Data Between Servers

7:15 11 chapters7:24Native APIs

Node.js, Python, Go and Java for Native APIs, Installed for You

7:24 10 chapters5:31Upgrade from v3

Upgrade from API Maker 3 to 4: What Changes in Your Code, Branch and Database

5:31 11 chapters6:28Upgrade from v3

Move an API Maker 3 Server to v4 in Place, with API Maker Launchpad

6:28 11 chapters

Short · 1:48

What is API Maker? Your whole backend in under 2 minutes

Connect MongoDB, MySQL, PostgreSQL, SQL Server, Oracle or MariaDB and every table gets secure REST APIs at once. Add your logic in eight languages, with security, realtime, jobs and caching built in, on a Rust core.

The same intro, in 16:9

Running API Maker 3?

For teams that run API Maker 3 today: what version 4 changes and what was removed, your Git branch pulled and committed again, your database opened by version 4 with the same data and the same tokens, and the two ways to move a server in place: with Launchpad, or with the installer.

The upgrade playlist

Seen enough? Try it on your computer.

API Maker Launchpad installs API Maker and its databases in Docker, free, on macOS, Windows and Linux.

Start free Read the docs