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First Steps

Get your project up and running - from account creation to your first API calls

Quick Start

Updated Mar 19, 2026
From zero to a live backend with working API endpoints in under five minutes.

Before you start

You need an Anythink account. Sign up free at my.anythink.cloud — no credit card required to get started.


Step 1 — Create a project

Log in to my.anythink.cloud. Click Create New Project, give it a name, and select a plan. Your backend spins up in under 30 seconds.

Once created you will see two important URLs in your project dashboard:

  • API URL — the base URL for all API calls (e.g. https://api.my.anythink.cloud/org/12345/)
  • Dashboard URL — your Anythink admin dashboard

Step 2 — Design your first entity

Click Dashboard URL to open your project. Go to Settings → Data Model and click + New Entity.

Name it tasks and save. You now have a database table and a live REST API — before adding a single field.

Add a couple of fields:

Field Type Options
title varchar Required
done boolean Default: false
notes text

Save after each field.


Step 3 — Test your API

From your project dashboard, click API Documentation. This opens your live, auto-generated API docs.

Find POST /entities/tasks/items and click Try it. Create a task:

json
{
  "title": "My first task",
  "done": false
}

You should get a 201 Created response. Then hit GET /entities/tasks/items — your task is there.


Step 4 — Call the API from your app

Copy your API URL from the project dashboard. Here's a minimal example using fetch:

javascript
const baseUrl = 'https://api.my.anythink.cloud/org/{orgId}';
const token = 'YOUR_JWT_OR_API_KEY';

// List tasks
const res = await fetch(`${baseUrl}/entities/tasks/items`, {
  headers: { 'Authorization': `Bearer ${token}` }
});
const { items } = await res.json();

// Create a task
await fetch(`${baseUrl}/entities/tasks/items`, {
  method: 'POST',
  headers: {
    'Authorization': `Bearer ${token}`,
    'Content-Type': 'application/json'
  },
  body: JSON.stringify({ title: 'New task', done: false })
});

Your orgId is shown in your dashboard URL and project settings.


Step 5 — Add authentication (optional)

To let real users sign up and log in to your app, go to Settings → Organisation and enable Allow Registrations. Set a default role for new users.

Your app can then call the auth endpoint:

http
POST /auth/v1/token
{ "email": "user@example.com", "password": "..." }

The response includes a JWT the user includes in subsequent requests.


What's next

Core concepts

Updated Mar 19, 2026
Three things to understand before you build anything: entities are your data model, APIs are generated automatically from that model, and everything else connects to those APIs.

Anythink runs on a simple principle that once it clicks, makes everything else obvious: you design your data, and the entire backend generates itself from it.


Entities — your data model

An entity is a table in your database. You create and define entities in the dashboard under Settings → Data Model. Each entity has:

  • A name (e.g. products, orders, blog_posts)
  • A set of fields — each field has a name and a type

Field types

Type Use for
varchar Short text — names, titles, slugs, status values
text Long text — descriptions, body content, notes
int / bigint Whole numbers — quantities, counts, IDs
float Decimal numbers — prices, coordinates
bool True / false flags
date Calendar dates
timestamp Date + time
json Arbitrary structured data
geo Geographic coordinates (latitude / longitude)
file An uploaded file — image, document, video
varchar[] Multi-select list of string values
Foreign key A link to a record in another entity

Example: a product catalogue

text
products entity
  name          varchar      required
  description   text
  price         float        required
  in_stock      bool         default true
  hero_image    file
  category      → categories (FK)

As soon as you save this, Anythink creates the table and generates the API.


APIs — generated automatically

Every entity gets a full REST API the moment it is saved. You do not write any code, define any routes, or configure any server. The API is just there.

Standard endpoints for every entity

http
GET    /org/{orgId}/entities/products/items
GET    /org/{orgId}/entities/products/items/{id}
POST   /org/{orgId}/entities/products/items
PUT    /org/{orgId}/entities/products/items/{id}
DELETE /org/{orgId}/entities/products/items/{id}

Filtering and querying

The list endpoint supports filtering, sorting, and pagination out of the box:

http
GET /org/{orgId}/entities/products/items?limit=20&page=1
GET /org/{orgId}/entities/products/items?filter[in_stock]=true

Live API documentation

Anythink generates interactive API documentation for your project automatically. Find the link in your project dashboard. Every field, every endpoint, with example requests and responses — always up to date.


Authentication and API keys

Every API call requires authentication. There are two ways to authenticate:

  • JWT — users log in and receive a token. Pass it as Authorization: Bearer <token>. The request is made as that user, and role and row-level security rules apply.
  • API key (ak_...) — a long-lived key for server-to-server calls or workflows. Generate one in your dashboard.
javascript
// Authenticated API call
const res = await fetch(
  'https://api.my.anythink.cloud/org/{orgId}/entities/products/items',
  {
    headers: { 'Authorization': 'Bearer ' + token }
  }
);

Relationships between entities

Link entities together with foreign key fields. An order links to a customer. A product links to a category. A comment links to a post.

When you define a foreign key field on an entity, you pass the related record's ID when creating or updating. The API returns the linked record's ID, and you can filter by it.

json
POST /org/{orgId}/entities/orders/items
{
  "customer": 42,
  "product": 7,
  "quantity": 2,
  "status": "pending"
}

The design loop

Most Anythink projects follow the same iterative pattern:

  1. Add a field or entity in the dashboard
  2. Test the API immediately in the live docs or with curl
  3. Build UI against the new endpoint
  4. Repeat

There is no deploy step, no schema migration command, no server restart. Changes to your data model take effect immediately.

My Anythink

Updated Mar 19, 2026
MyAnythink is your project hub — create and manage multiple Anythink projects, monitor usage, and access your project credentials from one place.

What is MyAnythink?

my.anythink.cloud is the top-level account management layer. It sits above your individual projects. From here you:

  • Create new Anythink projects (backends)
  • Switch between projects
  • View usage and storage for each project
  • Access your project's dashboard and API URLs
  • Manage billing and your plan

Every project is fully isolated — separate database, separate API, separate users. You can have as many projects as your plan allows.


Creating a project

Click Create New Project and:

  1. Give it a name — this is just for your reference
  2. Choose a hosting option — shared tenancy or dedicated (see below)
  3. Select a plan

Your infrastructure is ready in under 30 seconds.


Hosting options

Shared tenancy

Your project runs on shared infrastructure alongside other Anythink customers. Your data is fully isolated and private — you share the underlying servers, not the database or API. This is the right choice for new projects, prototypes, and early-stage products.

Dedicated

Your project runs on dedicated infrastructure. Choose this when you need guaranteed performance, custom scaling, or specific compliance requirements.


Your project's key URLs

Once a project is created, your dashboard shows:

  • Dashboard URL — your Anythink admin interface (e.g. https://yourproject.anythink.cloud)
  • API Base URL — the root for all API calls (e.g. https://api.my.anythink.cloud/org/{orgId}/)

Your orgId is shown in your project settings and appears in all API paths.


API keys

Generate API keys for server-to-server calls, CI/CD scripts, and workflow integrations. API keys start with ak_ and can be created in your project dashboard under Settings → API Keys.

Unlike JWTs, API keys do not expire and are not tied to a user. Treat them like passwords — store them as secrets, never in client-side code.


Switching between projects

If you manage multiple projects, use the project switcher in the top left of the dashboard. Or use the CLI:

bash
anythink config show          # list all project profiles
anythink config use my-app    # switch to a project

Next steps

Updated Mar 19, 2026
You're ready to build. Your Anythink project is live and waiting. Here's your roadmap for the first few hours.

Immediate Next Steps (5 minutes)

1. Design Your First Data Model

Head to Settings → Data Model and create entities that match your app:

  • Start simple (Users, Posts, Products)
  • Add fields that make sense for your business
  • Watch your APIs appear automatically

2. Test Your APIs

Visit your API Documentation (link in your project dashboard):

  • Try creating records directly in the browser
  • Test filtering and searching
  • Copy code examples for your app

Build Your App (30 minutes)

3. Connect Your Frontend

Use your API URL to connect any frontend:

  • React, Vue, Angular applications
  • Mobile apps (iOS, Android, React Native)
  • No-code tools like Webflow or Bubble

4. Add User Authentication

Enable login and registration for your app:

  • Configure authentication methods
  • Set up user roles and permissions
  • Protect your data with row-level security

Advanced Features (1 hour)

5. Add Workflows

Automate your business processes:

  • Send welcome emails to new users
  • Process orders automatically
  • Sync data between systems

6. Upload and Manage Files

Add file uploads to your app:

  • Images, documents, any file type
  • Global CDN delivery
  • Public or private access controls

Ready for Production

7. Custom Branding

Make the dashboard feel like yours:

  • Add your logo and colours
  • Customise the interface
  • White-label for clients

8. Go Live

Your backend is already production-ready. Deploy your frontend and start getting users — Anythink scales automatically as you grow.


Ready to understand the bigger picture? Core Concepts explains the fundamentals.

Next steps | First Steps | Anythink Docs | Anythink Docs