Typebase: Transforming a TypeScript Folder into Your Backend

Imagine your entire backend residing within a single directory. With Typebase, you define your database schema, server-side actions, and authentication logic directly inside a typebase/ folder within your project.

A single command transforms this folder into a fully typed server, allowing your frontend to invoke backend logic as if they were local functions.

🚀 Rapid Integration

Getting started is a breeze. Here is a glimpse of the workflow:

Backend Definition (typebase/actions/queries/todos.ts):

// server-side
import { action } from '../../_generated/server';
import { z } from 'zod';

export const getMany = action.findMany();

Frontend Consumption (src/app/page.tsx):

// client-side
import { client } from '@/lib/typebase/client';

export default async function Page() {
  const todos = await client.queries.todos.getMany();
  return (
    <ul>
      {todos.map((t) => (
        <li key={t.id}>{t.value}</li>
      ))}
    </ul>
  );
}

Typebase provides first-class support and idiomatic clients for:

• Next.js (Server Components)
• SvelteKit (Load functions)
• Nuxt (Plugins)
• Expo (SecureStore)

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🛠️ The Architecture

Typebase is engineered using a powerful stack: Drizzle ORM + oRPC + better-auth.

The Deployment Lifecycle

Step-by-Step Workflow

• 01. Scaffold: Run npx typebase-io-cli init to generate the typebase/ directory, including schema templates and optional auth/realtime setups.
• 02. Develop: Write your logic in TypeScript.
• 03. Ship: Run npx typebase-io-cli deploy to push your server to the cloud.

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📂 Deep Dive: The typebase/ Directory

Here is how you structure your backend logic:

Implementation Examples

Schema & Relations

// typebase/db/schema.ts
import { p } from 'typebase-io/db';
export const todos = p.table('todos', {
  value: p.text(),
  completed: p.boolean().default(false),
});

// typebase/db/relations.ts
import { q } from 'typebase-io/db';
import * as schema from './schema.ts';
export const relations = q.defineRelations(schema, (r) => ({
  todos: {},
}));

Actions (Queries & Mutations)

// typebase/actions/queries/todos.ts
import { action } from '../../_generated/server.ts';
export const getMany = action.findMany();

// typebase/actions/mutations/todos.ts
import { action } from '../../_generated/server.ts';
import { todos } from '../../db/schema.ts';
export const create = action.create(async ({ input, db }) => {
  return await db.insert(todos).values({ value: input.value, completed: false });
});

Auth, Env, and Real-time

// typebase/auth.ts
import { defineAuth } from 'typebase-io/server';
export const auth = defineAuth({
  trustedOrigins: ['http://localhost:3000'],
  emailAndPassword: { enabled: true },
  socialProviders: { github: { clientId: process.env.GITHUB_ID! } },
});

// typebase/env.ts
import { defineEnv } from 'typebase-io/server';
import { z } from 'zod';
export const env = defineEnv({ RESEND_API_KEY: z.string().startsWith('sk_') });

// typebase/publisher.ts
import { definePublisher } from 'typebase-io/server';
import { z } from 'zod';
export const publisher = definePublisher({
  provider: 'db',
  events: { 'todo.created': z.number() },
});

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⚠️ The Problem with RLS (Row Level Security)

Traditional RLS is often invisible implicit. It exists in a SQL dialect that your IDE cannot type-check.

"One single UPDATE policy can accidentally grant write access to every column in a table, including new ones you add months later. If an AI agent slips an overly permissive clause into your SQL at 2 AM, it will pass code review because no compiler is checking it."

The Typebase Approach: Your actions explicitly declare which columns they accept. Authentication checks are executed in code before the data ever touches the database.

$\text{Security} = \text{Compiler Checks} + \text{Explicit Code} > \text{Implicit SQL Policies}$

Example: An insecure policy like auth.role() = 'authenticated' allows any signed-in user to modify any row.

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📊 Competitive Landscape

Typebase was created to bridge the gap between owning your database and having seamless backend functions.

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🗣️ "Industry-Shaking" Testimonials

*Disclaimer: None of these individuals actually exist.

• Mariel Vonnegut (Principal Eng, AI Unicorn): "Before Typebase, my pipeline was just three acronyms: REST, gRPC, and WHY."
• Dave Dave (Senior Fullstack, maybe): "I've discussed Typebase with four different therapists."
• Clementine Ryu (Engineer, between therapists): "My co-founder asked where the auth lived. I said 'a file called auth.ts.' He hasn't spoken to me since."
• Tomás Lindberg (Indie hacker, possibly single): "We successfully replaced 14 microservices with one folder."
• Anonymous: "10/10 would make my backend a folder again."
• Hannah Pollard (Senior Folder Engineer, self-appointed): "Simply revolutionary."