Instant DB, a modern backend-as-a-service provider, has announced the release of a new API designed to allow developers and agents to rapidly spin up full-stack backends. The announcement, made by @Stopa on social media, highlights the API's capability to provision "millions of DBs in milliseconds." This development aims to significantly streamline the backend development process for real-time and collaborative applications.
Each backend provisioned through the new API comes equipped with a comprehensive suite of tools, including a database, a sync engine, authentication features, file storage, and presence capabilities. According to @Stopa, the entire infrastructure is hosted on a multi-tenant system, designed for efficiency and scalability. This integrated approach allows developers to focus on frontend development and user experience without managing complex backend operations.
Instant DB positions itself as a "modern Firebase," providing a real-time database solution that simplifies complex data operations. Founded by Joe Averbukh and Stepan Parunashvili, the company focuses on empowering builders by offering a robust platform for applications requiring real-time collaboration, akin to services like Notion or Figma. The company's documentation indicates that the API supports server-side operations, custom authentication flows, and sensitive application logic.
The new API includes functionalities such as generating and sending magic codes for authentication (db.auth.generateMagicCode, db.auth.sendMagicCode) and signing in users with tokens (db.auth.signInWithToken). These features, combined with autocompletion and typesafety when a schema is defined, aim to enhance the developer experience. Instant DB's approach seeks to reduce the time and effort traditionally spent on backend setup and maintenance.
This release comes as the market for "instant API" and backend-as-a-service solutions continues to grow, with platforms like Supabase and Xano also offering streamlined backend development. Instant DB's emphasis on multi-tenancy and the ability to instantly scale database provisioning differentiates its offering, catering to the increasing demand for highly scalable and real-time application infrastructure.