DreamFactory Mini

Instant REST APIs from your database. Nothing else.

DF Mini is a stripped-down DreamFactory that connects to your database and gives you a full REST API with Swagger docs. No enterprise auth, no scripting engine, no message queues — just your data as an API. There is no admin UI — everything is done via the API itself.

Quick Start

ADMIN_EMAIL=you@yourcompany.com ADMIN_PASSWORD=YourSecurePassword123 docker compose up -d

That's it. API is at http://localhost:8088/api/v2.

Note: First boot runs database migration (~4 seconds).

What's Included

• PostgreSQL connector
• MySQL / MariaDB connector
• SQL Server connector
• SQLite connector
• Remote Web Services (RWS) — proxy any HTTP/REST API
• SOAP connector
• Auto-generated REST endpoints for every table
• Swagger/OpenAPI docs at /api/v2/api_docs
• JWT session auth + API key auth
• SQLite system database (zero config)
• File-based cache (no Redis needed)

What's NOT Included

Everything else. No MongoDB, no AWS, no SAML, no LDAP, no scripting, no scheduler, no email, no admin UI. If you need those, use full DreamFactory.

Usage

DF Mini has no admin UI. You manage everything through the REST API. Here's the full workflow.

1. Log In

TOKEN=$(curl -s -X POST http://localhost:8088/api/v2/system/admin/session \
  --data-urlencode "email=you@yourdomain.com" \
  --data-urlencode "password=YourSecurePassword123" \
  | jq -r '.session_token')

Use the X-DreamFactory-Session-Token header for all subsequent requests.

2. Connect Your Database

curl -X POST http://localhost:8088/api/v2/system/service \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -H "X-DreamFactory-Session-Token: $TOKEN" \
  -d '{
    "name": "mydb",
    "label": "My Database",
    "type": "pgsql",
    "config": {
      "host": "your-db-host",
      "port": 5432,
      "database": "your_database",
      "username": "your_user",
      "password": "your_password"
    }
  }'

That's it — every table in your database now has a REST API.

3. Use Your APIs

# List all tables
curl http://localhost:8088/api/v2/mydb/_table \
  -H "X-DreamFactory-Session-Token: $TOKEN"

# Get records from a table
curl http://localhost:8088/api/v2/mydb/_table/users \
  -H "X-DreamFactory-Session-Token: $TOKEN"

# Filter records
curl "http://localhost:8088/api/v2/mydb/_table/users?filter=age%3E30&limit=10" \
  -H "X-DreamFactory-Session-Token: $TOKEN"

# Create a record
curl -X POST http://localhost:8088/api/v2/mydb/_table/users \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -H "X-DreamFactory-Session-Token: $TOKEN" \
  -d '{"resource": [{"name": "Jane", "email": "jane@example.com"}]}'

# Update a record
curl -X PATCH http://localhost:8088/api/v2/mydb/_table/users/1 \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -H "X-DreamFactory-Session-Token: $TOKEN" \
  -d '{"name": "Jane Updated"}'

# Delete a record
curl -X DELETE http://localhost:8088/api/v2/mydb/_table/users/1 \
  -H "X-DreamFactory-Session-Token: $TOKEN"

4. Create an API Key (for app access without admin session)

# Create a role
ROLE_ID=$(curl -s -X POST http://localhost:8088/api/v2/system/role \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -H "X-DreamFactory-Session-Token: $TOKEN" \
  -d '{"name": "mydb-reader", "is_active": true}' \
  | jq -r '.id')

# Create an app with an API key
curl -X POST http://localhost:8088/api/v2/system/app \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -H "X-DreamFactory-Session-Token: $TOKEN" \
  -d "{
    \"name\": \"my-app\",
    \"api_key\": \"$(openssl rand -hex 32)\",
    \"role_id\": $ROLE_ID,
    \"is_active\": true
  }"

Then use X-DreamFactory-API-Key: <key> header instead of session tokens.

5. View API Docs

Swagger/OpenAPI spec is at http://localhost:8088/api/v2/api_docs.

Service Types

Database	type value
PostgreSQL	pgsql
MySQL / MariaDB	mysql
SQL Server	sqlsrv
SQLite	sqlite
Remote Web Service	rws
SOAP	soap

Configuration

All via environment variables:

Variable	Default	Description
ADMIN_EMAIL	admin@dreamfactory.com	Admin login email
ADMIN_PASSWORD	(required)	Admin password
APP_DEBUG	false	Debug mode
APP_LOG_LEVEL	warning	Log verbosity
APP_KEY	(auto-generated)	Laravel app key
CORS_ORIGIN	*	Allowed CORS origin

Resource Usage

	DF Mini	Full DF Docker
Image	~410 MB	~2.6 GB
RAM	~50 MB	~190 MB
Startup	~4 seconds	~60 seconds
Containers	1	5

Upgrade Path

Outgrown Mini? Full DreamFactory adds MongoDB, 30+ database connectors, enterprise SSO (SAML, LDAP, OAuth), server-side scripting, scheduled tasks, and more.

LLM / AI Integration

This repo includes an llms.txt file — a structured API reference designed for LLMs and AI coding assistants. It contains exact endpoint patterns, request/response shapes, code examples in Python/JavaScript/curl, and common gotchas. Feed it to your LLM to generate correct DF Mini integration code on the first try.

License

Apache-2.0 — see LICENSE for details.