What is Backflow?

Backflow is a configuration-driven API framework that transforms JSON configurations into fully documented, type-safe REST APIs with zero boilerplate.

The Problem

Building REST APIs is repetitive. Every project requires the same boilerplate:

• Routing
• Authentication
• Database queries
• Validation
• Documentation

You spend days setting up what should take minutes.

The Solution

Backflow inverts the traditional development flow. Instead of writing code to define routes, you describe your API in a simple JSON file. Backflow handles:

• Route generation - Automatic REST endpoints
• Database operations - Supabase, Firebase, SQLite
• Authentication - JWT, Firebase Auth, API keys
• Validation - Zod schemas from config
• Documentation - OpenAPI/Swagger auto-generated

Key Features

Configuration-Driven

{
  "routes": [
    {
      "path": "/users",
      "method": "get",
      "supabaseQueries": [{
        "table": "users",
        "operation": "select",
        "select": "id, name, email"
      }]
    }
  ]
}

Multi-Database Support

• Supabase - PostgreSQL with real-time
• Firebase - Firestore NoSQL
• SQLite - Embedded database

Enterprise Features

• Multi-tenancy with tenant isolation
• RBAC with permissions
• Rate limiting per endpoint
• Caching (Redis, SQLite, Memory)
• Analytics and usage tracking

AI Agent System

• Workflow orchestration
• LLM streaming (OpenAI, Anthropic, LMStudio)
• Embeddings and vector search (Qdrant)
• MCP tool integration

Architecture

backflow/
├── config.json          # API configuration
├── src/
│   ├── lib/             # Core services
│   ├── routes/          # API routes
│   ├── middleware/      # Auth, RBAC, rate limiting
│   └── types/           # TypeScript types
└── integrations/        # Custom integrations

When to Use Backflow

• Rapid prototyping and MVPs
• Internal tools and admin panels
• Mobile app backends
• Microservices
• Multi-tenant SaaS