✨ Introduction
For the past few weeks, I’ve been building a tool that I personally needed for a long time:
a way to generate complete backend projects without writing the same boilerplate over and over.
The result is GenAPI — a visual API generator that lets you design your data models in a UI and then export a fully working backend project.
🔗 Try it here: https://thegenapi.io
(No login required — 100% free at the moment)
🛠 Why I built this
As developers, we constantly repeat the same setup steps:
- creating models/entities
- defining controllers/services
- configuring routes
- setting up project structure
- writing CRUD logic
- preparing basic validations
- wiring everything into a backend framework
After doing this hundreds of times across Node, Java, Python and PHP projects, I wanted a faster way.
Not AI-generated code.
Not templates.
A real visual builder that outputs a clean, ready-to-run backend.
🧩 How GenAPI works
The workflow is very simple:
- Open the visual builder
You start with an empty canvas where you can create:
- Entities
- Fields
- Types
- Relationships
- Optional constraints
- Choose your backend framework
Once your models are ready, you pick the stack you want to export to.
Right now GenAPI supports:
- Java (Spring Boot)
- Java (Quarkus)
- Node.js (Express)
- Python (FastAPI)
- PHP (Laravel)
- Download the generated ZIP
GenAPI creates a complete backend project with:
- Models / Entities
- Controllers
- Services
- Routes
- Basic CRUD logic
- Validations
- Clean folder structure
- Dependencies installed
- A README with instructions
👉 You run it locally and it just works.
No prompts.
No AI guesswork.
Just deterministic code based on your entities.
🎁 New feature: Starter Templates
To help new users get started quickly, I’m adding starter templates inside the builder:
- Blog API
- E-commerce
- Booking System
- CRM Lite
These load pre-made entities so you can test the tool instantly.
🚀 Who is GenAPI for?
This tool is ideal if you:
- build prototypes frequently
- generate small/medium backends
- teach backend development
- want to speed up CRUD-heavy work
- start many client projects
- hate repeating boilerplate code
🧪 What I’m currently working on
- More export options
- Better UI for relationships
- SAP CAP export (CDS-based, OData out of the box)
- Auto-documented APIs
- Advanced constraints
- Microservice export mode
- A VSCode extension to sync entities
🙏 I’d love your feedback
Since GenAPI is still early, feedback from the dev community is extremely helpful.
- Is the builder intuitive?
- Does the generated code look clean?
- What frameworks should I add next?
- Would this be useful in your workflow?
Comments are 100% welcome.
🔗 Try it here: https://thegenapi.io
Thanks for reading! 🚀
Top comments (9)
It would be nice if the database could support MySQL
I just visited the project being curious how can we define logic in gui builders , but after going to last page i got the concept superb it's a great project that reduces initalization time and gets with the DRY concept as we dont have to manually create repeated core files, hope you'll be adding more modules and feats. in future
Thanks so much for checking it out!
Yeah, the idea was exactly that — remove the repetitive boilerplate and let people get to the real logic faster.
I’m working on more modules, features and more export options.
Really appreciate the feedback — it helps a lot in shaping the next steps!
That is impressive. Been struggling with boilerplate backend code for side projects a tool like this would be a lifesaver.
Superb
It's cool.It must be helpful to me.I'll try it right now. Thanks for your shared.
That must have been a ton of work - kudos big time, respect!
Thanks a lot!
Yes, it was a lot of work, but it's been fun building it and even better seeing others find it useful.
More improvements and features are on the way!
Hi