Xano - Getting Started and the Basics

Hello and welcome, new Xano users! I'm Michael, in charge of Customer Success at Xano. If you've recently completed our Jumpstart tutorial, this guide will help you further understand and start building with Xano. Let’s dive into the basics and set up a simple project.

Understanding Xano's Layout and Resources:

Firstly, at the top of Xano’s interface, you’ll find links to essential resources including our documentation, YouTube channel, forum, support chat, and Twitter. These are valuable tools as you begin your Xano journey.

Step 1: Populating Your Database

The backbone of any application is its data. Navigate to the Database section, where you’ll encounter a spreadsheet-like interface. Here you can add and modify data across different tables that you've set up during the Jumpstart - typically users, merchants, and deals for a typical deals app example.

• Users Table: Add users with fields such as name, email, and password. This information is crucial for enabling login functionality.
• Merchants Table: Here, add merchant names and descriptions. These are the businesses offering deals in your app.
• Deals Table: Define the types of deals available and relate each deal to a merchant using the table reference option, establishing a clear relationship between deals and merchants.

Step 2: Setting Up Your API

Once your data is populated, move to the API section. Xano’s API acts as a messenger between your backend (Xano) and whatever frontend tool you use. You’ll find that Xano has auto-generated CRUD (Create, Read, Update, Delete) API endpoints for each table during the Jumpstart, streamlining the process of connecting your data to the frontend.

• Explore the Public API Group to view and edit these endpoints.
• Each API endpoint consists of three parts: Input, Function Stack, and Response.
• The Function Stack allows you to build complex business logic by adding and configuring various functions. This flexibility is powerful for customizing how your application handles and displays data.
• Use the Run and Debug feature to test your endpoints directly within Xano, ensuring they return the expected data before connecting to your frontend.

Step 3: Connecting Your API to the Frontend

Finally, once your API is set up and returning the correct data, use the provided URL (found by clicking the corresponding button in the API's interface) to connect this backend functionality to your frontend application. This link is what bridges your data to the user-facing side of your project.