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Alex Spinov
Alex Spinov

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Xata Has a Free API — Here's How to Build a Serverless Database with Search Built In

#xata #database #api #serverless

A developer I know needed a database for their Next.js app. PostgreSQL needed hosting. Supabase had too many features. Firebase was NoSQL. Then she found Xata — a serverless database with a spreadsheet-like UI, built-in search, and a TypeScript SDK that felt like magic.

What Xata Offers for Free

Xata free tier:

  • 15 GB data storage + 15 GB search storage
  • 750 requests/second — handles serious traffic
  • Built-in full-text search powered by Elasticsearch
  • File attachments — store images/files directly in records
  • Branching — test schema changes safely
  • TypeScript-first SDK with autocomplete
  • REST API for any language

Quick Start 

# Install CLI
npm install -g @xata.io/cli

# Login and init
xata auth login
xata init --db https://YOUR-workspace.xata.sh/db/myapp
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REST API 

# Insert a record
curl -X POST 'https://YOUR-workspace.xata.sh/db/myapp:main/tables/posts/data' \
  -H 'Authorization: Bearer xau_YOUR_API_KEY' \
  -H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
  -d '{
    "title": "Getting Started with Xata",
    "content": "Xata is a serverless database...",
    "author": "Alice",
    "published": true
  }'

# Search across all columns
curl -X POST 'https://YOUR-workspace.xata.sh/db/myapp:main/tables/posts/search' \
  -H 'Authorization: Bearer xau_YOUR_API_KEY' \
  -H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
  -d '{
    "query": "serverless database",
    "fuzziness": 1
  }'
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TypeScript SDK 

import { getXataClient } from './xata'; // Auto-generated

const xata = getXataClient();

// Insert
const post = await xata.db.posts.create({
  title: 'My First Post',
  content: 'Hello, Xata!',
  author: 'Alice',
  published: true
});

// Query with filters
const recentPosts = await xata.db.posts
  .filter({ published: true })
  .sort('created_at', 'desc')
  .getPaginated({ pagination: { size: 10 } });

// Full-text search with highlighting
const results = await xata.db.posts.search('serverless', {
  fuzziness: 1,
  highlight: { enabled: true }
});
// Returns results with <em>serverless</em> highlighted in matches

// Aggregate
const stats = await xata.db.posts.aggregate({
  totalPosts: { count: '*' },
  byAuthor: { topValues: { column: 'author', size: 5 } }
});
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File Attachments 

// Upload an image directly to a record
const user = await xata.db.users.create({
  name: 'Alice',
  avatar: {
    base64Content: imageBase64,
    mediaType: 'image/png',
    name: 'avatar.png'
  }
});

// Access the file URL
console.log(user.avatar?.url); // CDN URL for the image
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Schema Branching 

# Create a branch
xata branch create feature-comments

# Add a table on the branch
xata schema edit --branch feature-comments
# Add 'comments' table with columns

# Compare changes
xata branch diff feature-comments

# Merge to main
xata branch merge feature-comments
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Perfect For

  • Next.js/Remix apps — TypeScript SDK with autocomplete
  • Content platforms — built-in search, no Elasticsearch setup
  • MVPs — spreadsheet UI for non-technical team members to view/edit data
  • Jamstack sites — serverless, no infrastructure to manage

Need to fill your database with web data? Check out my web scraping actors on Apify — automated data collection from any website.

Need a custom data pipeline? Email me at spinov001@gmail.com — I build scraping-to-database solutions.

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