Creating a PostgreSQL in Minutes with DreamFactory

Handwriting code for database APIs can be a time consuming and expensive process that often exposes organizations to a variety of risks relating to quality, consistency, and developer effort. DreamFactory specializes in REST API generation for a range of databases that gives you the ability to generate a secure, fully documented API in minutes. This article will highlight how easy it is to create a PostgreSQL API, demonstrating how you could save your organization considerable time, money and effort during the API development process.

Generating the PostgreSQL REST API

To commence generating your PostgreSQL REST API, you’ll login to the DreamFactory administration interface, navigate to API Generation & Connections and then enter the service creation interface by clicking on the Database dropdown button under the API Types submenu. Then, press the + button to start building your API!

From there you’ll select the PostgreSQL service type by finding the PostgreSQL option or by searching for it in the search bar.

Step 1: Select your database

Step 1: Select your database

Here you will be prompted to provide a name, label, and description. The latter two are used just for reference purposes within the administration interface, however the name value is particularly important because as you’ll soon see it will comprise part of the API URL.

Step 2: Provide a name, label, and description for your database

Step 2: Provide a name, label, and description for your database

Then, you’ll be prompted to provide the database connection credentials after pressing ‘next.’. This should really be nothing new; you’ll supply a host name, username, password, and database. Additionally, you can optionally specify other configuration characteristics such as driver options, the time zone, and caching preferences.

Step 3: Enter database connection credentials

Step 3: Enter database connection credentials

With the credentials in place, just press the Save button at the bottom of the screen, and believe it or not the REST API has been generated!

Instant API Documentation

DreamFactory provides robust API documentation capabilities, automatically generating comprehensive, interactive API docs for every generated API. These docs are available through a web-based interface, allowing developers to explore endpoints, view parameter details, and test API calls directly within the documentation. This feature ensures that APIs are easy to understand, use, and integrate, significantly reducing development time and enhancing collaboration across teams. The documentation is continuously updated to reflect any changes in the API, ensuring accuracy and reliability.

Step 4: Interact with your auto-generated API Documentation to find the curl command & request URL

Step 4: Interact with your auto-generated API Documentation to find the curl command & request URL

Security & Integration with other Services

As with all DreamFactory REST APIs you will have to secure your PostgreSQL API with minimum role-based access controls before it can be made public. You can also add headers, add service definitions, and script some powerful automated workflows with the DreamFactory scripting engine.

In a few short minutes, you can have your PostgreSQL API ready to integrate alongside any number of other Enterprise applications, data sources, or network APIs. DreamFactory also allows you to create, mount, and manage any number of third-party REST APIs with ease under a unified admin dashboard.

About DreamFactory

Want to know more about how we can help you create, secure and deploy your PostgreSQL API? DreamFactory is an API generation platform that can help your business secure data and get information into the hands of those that need it the most.