Budibase

Budibase is an open-source operations platform and low-code web app builder. It allows users to build custom business applications, automate internal workflows, and deploy AI agents to handle operational tasks. The software is available as a cloud-hosted service or as a self-hosted installation via Docker, Kubernetes, or Digital Ocean, making it suitable for organizations with strict data residency requirements.

The platform focuses on reducing the engineering time required to create internal tools and data applications. It provides a visual environment for designing user interfaces and connecting them to various data sources. Users can create CRUD applications and automate repetitive business processes by integrating different systems into a single interface, which eliminates the need to manually stitch together multiple separate tools for a single operational flow.

Key features

• AI agents that process requests and execute operational workflows
• Visual app builder for creating custom business interfaces
• Workflow automation to route approvals and notify teams
• Integration with external databases and AI models
• Public API for use as a backend or for third-party interoperability
• Self-hosting options for full control over infrastructure
• Global management of users, groups, and application theming
• User portals for decentralized group management

Budibase uses a monorepo architecture managed by Lerna, featuring a Svelte-based builder client and a Koa server. The server is responsible for serving the builder and the resulting applications while providing the API for interaction with the database and file system. It is designed for engineers and operations teams who need to build secure, scalable internal tools without writing extensive boilerplate code. The system supports flexible licensing, with the core platform under GPL v3 and client libraries under MPL, allowing the apps built on the platform to be licensed independently.

This platform serves as a centralized hub for business operations, replacing the need to use multiple disparate tools for data management, request handling, and process automation.