How to Build REST API with SQL in One Minute

Danny Parker — Mon, 10 Nov 2025 12:40:53 +0000

DBAPI is a low-code API development tool that allows you to write SQL directly on the web page to generate REST APIs. This guide will walk you through the quick start process of using DBAPI from a beginner's perspective.

Prerequisites

A MySQL database with a student information table structured as follows:

Requirement: Develop an HTTP API at http://127.0.0.1:8520/api/student/detail with a numeric id parameter to query student information.

Example: Accessing http://127.0.0.1:8520/api/student/detail?id=7 retrieves specific student information.

Step-by-Step Guide

1. Create a Data Source

Navigate to the data source page and click the New Data Source button.

In the popup window, enter your MySQL connection details (address, account, password) and save.

After saving, the new data source will appear in your list.

2. Create an API Group

Go to the API page and click New Group.

Enter a group name in the popup and save.
The new group will appear in the left sidebar (initially empty).

3. Create a New API

Click New API within your group to open the API creation page.

Configure basic API information:
- Set API path
- Create id parameter
- Keep Content-Type as default
- Set access permission to Public (for testing)

4. Configure API Executor

Click on the Executor tab
Select your newly created local-mysql data source
Enter the SQL query:

   select * from student where id = #{id}

Click Save to create the API

5. Publish and Test the API

After saving, the API will appear in your group but will be grayed out (unpublished).

Click the Online button to publish the API.

Once published, the API will be active with a Test button available.

Click API Request Test to open the testing interface:
- Enter id parameter value (e.g., 7)
- Click Send Request
- View returned student data

Alternatively, test via browser by accessing: http://127.0.0.1:8520/api/student/detail?id=7

Conclusion

You've successfully created and deployed a REST API in under a minute with no coding required!

Additional Resources

For more advanced usage and tips, visit the DBAPI official website.

DEV Community: Danny Parker