Saltcorn

Saltcorn is an open-source, self-hosted no-code database application builder. It allows users to create web and mobile database applications through a visual interface, eliminating the need to write manual code for data management and application logic. The software provides a framework for defining data structures and building the interfaces needed to interact with that data.

The software is deployed as a server application and can be installed on Linux virtual machines, via Docker, or run locally on a desktop using Node.js. It supports both single-tenant and multitenant configurations, enabling the hosting of multiple separate applications on a single instance. Users can manage their deployments through a command line interface or automated installation scripts for various Linux distributions including Debian, Ubuntu, and Fedora.

Key features

• Visual builder for web and mobile database applications
• Support for flexible views, layouts, and datatypes
• Custom action configuration for application logic
• Multitenant hosting capabilities
• Integration with PostgreSQL for data storage
• Deployment options via Docker or CLI
• Support for custom plugins to extend functionality

Built with Node.js and Express, Saltcorn utilizes PostgreSQL as its primary database backend, though it can also run with SQLite for local desktop testing. It incorporates several open-source libraries to handle its complex interface, including Blockly for visual logic programming and CodeMirror for text editing. The architecture is designed to be extensible, allowing for the addition of new packages and plugins to expand the core capabilities of the builder. For server deployments, it can be configured as a systemd service to ensure it runs in the background and restarts automatically after a system reboot.

Saltcorn is intended for users who need to build data-driven applications without deep programming knowledge, providing a bridge between relational databases and functional web interfaces.