Create Your Account
Go to budibase.com and click Get Started in the header. Sign up with your email, Google, or GitHub account. After verifying your email, you’ll land in the Budibase portal where you can create your first app. Budibase offers Cloud (hosted by Budibase) or Self-Hosted (Docker, Kubernetes, or DigitalOcean one-click).
Cloud accounts include automatic backups, SSL certificates, and zero maintenance. Self-hosted deployments give you full control over data storage and allow you to run Budibase behind your firewall. The open-source Community Edition is free forever with unlimited users and apps. Enterprise adds SSO, audit logs, and priority support.
Choose your region (US, EU, or AU) during signup. This determines where your data is stored. Budibase is fully GDPR-compliant and SOC 2 certified for cloud hosting.
Connect Your Data Source
Click Create New App from the portal home, then select Start from scratch. In the app builder, click Data in the left sidebar. Budibase offers two data options: Budibase DB (built-in PostgreSQL) or External Data Source (MySQL, PostgreSQL, REST API, Google Sheets, Airtable, etc.).
For external databases, click Add Data Source and select your database type. Enter connection details: host, port, database name, username, and password. Click Test Connection to verify. Budibase automatically fetches your schema and displays all tables in the Data panel.
For REST APIs, provide the base URL and configure authentication (API key, bearer token, or OAuth). Define endpoints manually or use OpenAPI Import to auto-generate all endpoints from a Swagger/OpenAPI spec file. Budibase caches API schemas for faster query building.
Budibase DB is perfect for prototypes or small datasets. Click Create New Table to define columns, types, and relationships. Add Formulas (calculated fields), Relationships (foreign keys), and User Columns (auto-populated with current user data) directly in the table editor.
Build Your First App
Click Design in the left sidebar to open the visual app builder. Drag a Table component onto the canvas. In the right settings panel, bind the table to your data source by selecting the table or query from the dropdown. The table auto-populates with your data.
Add a Form component for creating new records. Budibase auto-generates form fields based on your schema. Customize labels, validation rules, and field types (text, number, date picker, dropdown, etc.). Connect the form’s Save button to an Insert Row action by clicking Define Actions in the button settings.
Create a Detail Panel by dragging a Side Panel component and adding Field Groups inside. Bind each field to {{ Table1.selectedRow.columnName }}. Add an Edit button that opens the side panel and pre-fills the form with selected row data for inline editing.
Use AI Workflows (beta) to automate data processing. Navigate to Automation in the sidebar and click Create Automation. Choose a trigger (row created, button clicked, scheduled cron job) and add actions like Send Email, HTTP Request, or Update Row. Use AI actions to summarize text, classify data, or generate responses.
Share with Your Team
Click Publish in the top right corner to deploy your app. Budibase creates a production version accessible via a unique URL. Click Settings > Users to invite team members. Assign roles: Admin (full access), Power User (can use all apps), or Basic User (view-only or app-specific access).
Configure Public Access if you need to share with external users. Enable Make App Public in app settings and optionally require email verification or password authentication. Public apps work great for customer portals, intake forms, or read-only dashboards.
Set up Development and Production Environments by clicking Dev/Prod toggle in the header. Make changes in Dev without affecting your live app. When ready, click Sync to Production to push updates. This prevents accidental changes from breaking live workflows.
Next Steps
Explore Custom Components to build reusable UI elements with JavaScript and Svelte. Enable Git Sync under app settings to version control your app in GitHub or GitLab. Set up Row-Level Security to restrict data access based on user attributes. Check out the Budibase resource page for tutorials on building approval workflows, integrating Stripe payments, and deploying with Docker Compose or Portainer.