The 2 Best No-Code Backend Builders
Tags: nocode, lowcode, mysql, postgres
Published: 2024-01-22 21:13:00

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<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="here-are-the-2-best-no-code-backends">Here Are the 2 Best No-Code Backends</h2>
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<p>No-code backends provide their users with an easy-to-setup and easy-to-maintain database for application development. Visual tools to create databases and tables, no-code backends are beginner-friendly implementations of popular database technologies, such as <a href="https://five.co/blog/what-is-mysql/">MySQL</a> or PostgreSQL. </p>
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<div class="wp-block-rank-math-toc-block" id="rank-math-toc"><nav><ul><li class=""><a href="#what-are-no-code-backends">What Are No-Code Backends?</a></li><li class=""><a href="#top-2-no-code-backends">Top 2 No-Code Backends</a><ul><li class=""><a href="#five-a-rapid-development-app-builder-with-a-my-sql-database">Five: A Rapid Development App Builder with a MySQL Database</a></li><li class=""><a href="#xano-a-no-code-backend"> Xano: A No-Code Backend</a></li></ul></li><li class=""><a href="#xano-vs-five-which-one-to-pick">Xano vs Five: Which One to Pick?</a></li></ul></nav></div>
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<p>If you're entirely new to the world of databases, we recommend reading our article on <a href="https://five.co/blog/modern-database-management-explained/" data-type="post" data-id="1635">Modern Database Management Explained</a> or check out this list of the<a href="https://five.co/blog/the-five-best-books-on-mysql/" data-type="post" data-id="907"> best books on MySQL</a>.</p>
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<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="what-are-no-code-backends">What Are No-Code Backends?</h2>
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<p>A no-code backend, or Backend as a Service (Baas) gives developers access to all the tools required to create a scalable backend without having to write SQL, set up database servers, or worry about database backups.</p>
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<p>To make this more concrete, let's understand what databases are. Databases' most fundamental building blocks are <strong>tables</strong>. Tables are where the content and data that you show to your end-users is stored. </p>
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<p>In the past, creating a database required writing SQL, a popular programming language that enables programmers to communicate with a database. The tools used were <a href="https://five.co/blog/from-mysql-gui-to-application/">database GUIs</a>, which allow programmers to write and run SQL queries.</p>
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<p>Today's no-code backends have abstracted away SQL behind easy-to-use point-and-click interfaces. Gone are the days where developers had to go through the tedious process of writing this:</p>
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<pre class="wp-block-code"><code>CREATE&nbsp;TABLE&nbsp;<em>table_name&nbsp;</em>(<br><em>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; column1 datatype</em>,<br><em>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; column2 datatype</em>,<br><em>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; column3 datatype</em>,<br>&nbsp;&nbsp; ....<br>);</code></pre>
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<p>Nowadays, creating database tables, data types, relationships, and primary or foreign keys requires little more than a basic understanding of relational databases and how they store data in columns and rows.</p>
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<p>On top of creating tables, there is a lot more that no-code backends take care of, such as creating and maintaining your database server, providing cloud storage, and taking care of backups. No-code backends give you everything you need to get a web-hosted database up and running.</p>
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<p>So let's go ahead and explore three popular no-code backends and their capabilities and features.</p>
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<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="top-2-no-code-backends">Top 2 No-Code Backends</h2>
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<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="five-a-rapid-development-app-builder-with-a-my-sql-database">Five: A Rapid Development App Builder with a MySQL Database</h3>
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<p>Five is a rapid application development environment that integrates all steps of application development: backend, frontend, and deployment.</p>
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<p>Five gives users an integrated MySQL database, which can be created visually, using its <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jcRAhyw9rmI&amp;list=PLerqEA4wsHa2vY5vW3fK1Nkl4Npxn5MKQ">Table Wizard</a>, a rapid and easy-to-use interface for creating database tables, assigning data types, and creating table relationships.</p>
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<p>Five also automatically generates primary keys, a feature that is <a href="https://five.co/blog/powerful-sql-data-validation-techniques/" data-type="post" data-id="689">useful to ensure data integrity</a>. It further lets developers import data from CSV and inspect their database scheme visually.</p>
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<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img src="https://five.co/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Five.Co-Database-Modeler.png" alt="Five.Co - No-code backend with visual database modeler" class="wp-image-865"/></figure>
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<p>All of these features make Five a powerful database GUI. An added benefit is that Five uses MySQL as the underlying database and allows users to export their database as a database dump. This means that there is no lock-in as users can simply export their database and host it elsewhere.</p>
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<p>Five is free to use: download the development environment and start building. Pick one of Five's hosting packages to deploy your application and its database to the cloud, starting from US$29.99 per application/month. Five's Basic plan comes with 3GB of storage included.</p>
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<pre style="text-align: center; overflow: hidden; white-space: pre-line;"><span style="color: #f1ebda; background-color: #4588d8; font-size: calc(18px + 0.390625vw);"><strong>Sign Up For a Free Download</strong>
<span style="font-size: 14pt;">Try Five For Free</span></span></pre>
<p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://five.co/sign-up/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><button style="background-color: #f8b92b; border: none; color: black; padding: 20px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; display: inline-block; font-size: 18px; cursor: pointer; margin: 4px 2px; border-radius: 5px;"><strong>Sign Up</strong></button><br></a></p>
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<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="xano-a-no-code-backend"> Xano: A No-Code Backend</h3>
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<p>Xano is a popular no-code backend that gives users a PostgreSQL database, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n9jexLVUcXc">which can be created and maintained visually</a>. On top of its database creation capabilities, Xano also gives users an API that lets the database interact with other tools, such as front-end builders.</p>
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<p><strong>Here is where tools such as Five and Xano are different</strong>: Five gives users everything to build a full-fledged web app. Xano, on the other hand, is a purpose-built backend provider that only provides users with the database. This means that if you wish to build a web app, you will need to choose another tool to work on top of Xano, such as AppGyver or other no- and low-code front-end builders.</p>
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<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://five.co/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/image-3-1024x276.png" alt="" class="wp-image-2307"/></figure>
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<p>Xano has a free plan that is limited to 100,000 records of data. Its Launch plan is US$85 per month and comes with 3GB of SSD storage and 10GB of image and file storage.</p>
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<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="xano-vs-five-which-one-to-pick">Xano vs Five: Which One to Pick?</h2>
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<p>Xano and Five can both be used to create a web-hosted database that stores data online. Five uses MySQL and Xano PostgreSQL as the database. For 99% of all projects, either choice is fine: you cannot go wrong with MySQL or PostgreSQL.</p>
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<p>The differences between Five and Xano are pricing (Five starts at US$29.99 and Xano at US$85 per month) and purpose: Five is a full-fledged application environment that is best used to rapidly build and deploy <a href="https://five.co/use-cases/">bespoke business applications</a>. It auto-generates a web front end for your database backend. </p>
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<p>Xano, on the other hand, is a dedicated no-code database. It has more comprehensive API documentation to make API endpoints, for example. And by choosing a front-end builder that connects to Xano, you can combine Xano with almost any front-end to create highly-customized interfaces on top of your database.</p>
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