How-To Guide
Step-by-step walkthrough for building and shipping your backend.
Contents
Quick links
Quick Path (15 Minutes)
Fastest way to launch your first backend
1) Explore /demo so you understand the flow.
2) Request invite: https://dutchwebservices.com/#create-organization
3) Sign in on / and create your first app.
4) Build schema in Form or JSON mode and save.
5) Create one user or one M2M client.
6) Test create/read in Data Browser.
1. Start Here
Step 1: Open the demo
Go to /demo and explore the full dashboard with sample data.
Step 2: Request your workspace
Fill this onboarding form: https://dutchwebservices.com/#create-organization
Step 3: Accept your invite
You receive an email invite link. Open it and create your login.
Step 4: Sign in
Go to / and log in to your real organization workspace.
2. Organizations & Admins
Step 1: Open Settings
Go to Settings in the sidebar.
Step 2: Invite teammate admins
Create an invite link and send it to teammates.
Step 3: Keep your org isolated
Each organization has its own apps, users, and runtime data.
Step 4: Update your profile
Set your name, email, and avatar in the Profile section.
3. App Lifecycle
Step 1: Create app
Click New App, enter name + slug, and continue.
Step 2: Pick setup options
Optionally import schema and configure access mode.
Step 3: Watch deployment status
Check provisioning/live/error in app list and app detail.
Step 4: Delete safely
Delete requires name confirmation and is irreversible.
4. Schema Builder
Step 1: Use Form mode
Add collections and fields with types, required, and validation.
Step 2: Use JSON mode
Paste or edit schema JSON directly if you prefer code-style editing.
Step 3: Use Visual mode
Create relations by connecting collections visually.
Step 4: Save schema
Click save to publish schema changes to runtime.
Step 5: Built-in timestamps
createdAt and updatedAt are always present.
5. Runtime Authentication
Step 1: Choose public reads (optional)
Set a collection to public when GET should be open.
Step 2: Protect writes
POST/PATCH/DELETE are always authenticated.
Step 3: Use roles
Assign read/write roles for broader access when needed.
Step 4: Own-record behavior
Users can access their own resources by default.
6. Users & M2M
Step 1: Create runtime users
In App Detail > Users, create users for your app runtime.
Step 2: Create M2M client
In OAuth/Auth tab, create a machine-to-machine client.
Step 3: Get token credentials
Copy token URL, client ID, and client secret.
Step 4: Use token in backend/frontend
Exchange credentials for access token and call runtime endpoints.
7. Data Browser
Step 1: Select collection
Open Data Browser in app detail and pick a collection.
Step 2: Read data
Click Refresh to load runtime records.
Step 3: Create/edit/delete
Use built-in forms to manage records directly.
Step 4: Validate JSON fields
Object/array fields are validated before save.
8. Operations
Step 1: Check deployment health
Use monitoring cards in app detail to verify runtime health.
Step 2: Track API usage
Review request count, error rate, and route stats.
Step 3: Watch cost and limits
See your current tier, usage bars, and projected price changes.
9. Runtime Environment
Step 1: Open Runtime Env
Go to app detail and open runtime environment settings.
Step 2: Add/update variables
Set keys and values needed by your runtime app.
Step 3: Apply and roll out
Save changes and deploy to activate new env values.