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Get a fully functional backend API with database, auth, and storage running locally in under 3 minutes.
1

Install Applad

Install the Applad CLI on macOS, Linux, or WSL:
curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/mittolabs/applad/main/scripts/install.sh | bash
Verify the installation:
applad --version
2

Initialize a project

Create a new Applad project using the minimal template:
applad init --template minimal
This creates:
  • applad.yaml — instance configuration
  • orgs/ — organization and project structure
  • .env.example — environment variables template
  • .gitignore — configured for Applad projects
Copy the environment template and fill in values:
cp .env.example .env
# Edit .env and set APPLAD_SECRET (generate with: openssl rand -hex 32)
3

Start your backend

Boot your API server and infrastructure:
applad up
Your API is now live at http://localhost:8080
The first run downloads Docker images and sets up your database. Subsequent runs are much faster.

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What you get

After running applad up, you have:

REST API

Auto-generated endpoints for all your tables at /api/v1/

GraphQL API

Query your data with GraphQL at /graphql

Database

PostgreSQL with automatic migrations

Authentication

User signup, login, and session management

File Storage

Upload and serve files with built-in permissions

Admin UI

Manage your backend at http://localhost:8080/admin

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Verify it works

Test your API with a simple request: 
curl http://localhost:8080/api/v1/health
You should see: 
{
  "status": "healthy",
  "version": "0.1.0",
  "services": {
    "database": "connected",
    "storage": "ready",
    "auth": "ready"
  }
}

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Next steps

Define your schema

Create tables and define your data model

Configure authentication

Set up auth providers and permissions

Deploy to VPS

Take your backend to production

Explore CLI commands

Learn about applad up, applad deploy, and more

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Templates

Applad comes with several starter templates:
  • minimal — Basic setup with database and auth
  • saas — Full SaaS stack with multi-tenancy, billing tables, and messaging
  • api — REST-focused setup without UI
  • cms — Content management with hosting config
applad init --template saas

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