The open-source platform for accelerated business software development

Define data objects, relationships, and logic at runtime — Ion Drive turns them into live REST, GraphQL, and MCP APIs. Self-hosted, in your repo, one command.

runtime-dynamic data objects · automatic REST/GraphQL/MCP · built for LLM agents

Get started GitHub

Apache-2.0 · TypeScript · PostgreSQL 17 · Node 22+

✦ ~/my-app

$ npx @ion-drive/cli init my-app ✔ my-app scaffolded — server.ts + blocks/ are yours $ npm run dev ➜ API http://localhost:3000 · admin console /admin $ npx ion-drive add crm ✔ crm installed — REST, GraphQL & MCP live, no restart $ curl "localhost:3000/api/v1/data/contacts?search=acme" { "data": [ … ], "pagination": { "totalCount": 42 } } $

Runtime schema

Define an object. Every API is already live.

Create tables through the admin console or one API call — no migrations, no deploys, no downtime. The moment it returns, the object is live on every surface:

REST — GET/POST/PATCH/DELETE /api/v1/data/contacts
GraphQL — contacts, create_contacts, …
MCP — tools for any connected LLM agent
OpenAPI — reflected in /api/v1/openapi.json

Data objects explains the model.

create a data object

curl -X POST http://localhost:3000/api/v1/schema/objects \
  -H 'content-type: application/json' \
  -d '{
    "name": "contacts",
    "displayName": "Contacts",
    "fields": [
      { "name": "full_name", "columnType": "text", "isRequired": true },
      { "name": "email",     "columnType": "email" },
      { "name": "status",    "columnType": "enum" }
    ]
  }'

Querying

One query language on every list endpoint

Full-text search, per-property operators, multi-sort, and two pagination styles — readable in a URL and identical across REST, GraphQL, and MCP. The zero-dependency client SDK builds these queries for you, Supabase-style.

The querying guide has the full operator table.

search + operators + pagination

GET /api/v1/data/contacts?search=acme
GET /api/v1/data/contacts?status[neq]=archived&age[gte]=21
GET /api/v1/data/contacts?sort=-created_at&page=1

{
  "data": [ /* records */ ],
  "pagination": { "page": 1, "pageSize": 25, "totalCount": 42, "hasNextPage": true }
}

Building blocks

Blocks are yours. The engine is a dependency.

Pulling in a building block applies its schema and drops its business logic into /blocks/<name> in your repo — like shadcn/ui, but for backend features. Core and the infrastructure plugins stay npm packages you upgrade; future block updates arrive as diffs you review, never overwrites.

Every artifact in the registry is sha256-digest-verified before it touches your project. Browse the registry or read how blocks work.

the ownership model

npx ion-drive list             # browse the registry catalog
npx ion-drive add crm          # schema-only: objects + APIs light up instantly
npx ion-drive add invoicing    # vendored logic lands in blocks/invoicing/

# edit blocks/invoicing/stripe.ts — it's your code, hot-reloaded

Agent-first

MCP is a first-class surface, not an add-on

The built-in MCP server at /api/v1/mcp gives any MCP-compatible agent schema introspection and CRUD with zero integration code — the same query semantics your application uses, because the same object definitions drive all three surfaces.

Schema tools — list_objects, create_object, add_field, …
Data tools — query_data, get_record, create_record, …
Block actions reflect as tools automatically

MCP server reference.

an agent queries your data

// POST /api/v1/mcp — tool: query_data
{
  "object_name": "contacts",
  "search": "acme",
  "filters": [{ "field": "status", "operator": "neq", "value": "archived" }],
  "sort": [{ "field": "created_at", "direction": "desc" }],
  "expand": ["company"]
}

Everything included

Batteries included, ownership retained

Runtime data objects

Create, modify, and delete tables through the admin console or API. No migrations, no deploys, no downtime.

Automatic API surface

Every data object instantly gets REST endpoints, GraphQL types, and MCP tools. Download an always-current OpenAPI spec.

Rich querying

Full-text search, per-property operators, sorting, and pagination on every list endpoint — with a typed client SDK that builds the queries for you.

LLM/agent native

Built-in MCP server lets AI agents introspect your schema and CRUD data with zero integration code.

Building blocks

Pull in pre-built modules (CRM, invoicing, communications, audit) like shadcn/ui — you own the code, customize freely.

Multi-tenant by design

Designed for per-tenant database isolation. Tenant management is on the roadmap.

Built-in observability

OpenTelemetry instrumentation with an optional Grafana stack. Pre-built dashboards included.

Pluggable auth

Better Auth (self-hosted) by default; swap the provider via the plugin system.

Admin console

Visual schema designer, Airtable-like data grid, user management, secrets vault, monitoring dashboards.

Quick start

Zero to live APIs in five minutes

Node 22+ and Docker are the only prerequisites. What you own is deliberately small — a server.ts composition root and a /blocks directory; the platform arrives as npm dependencies.

The first user to sign up in the admin console becomes the admin. The full guide takes it from here.

terminal

npx @ion-drive/cli init my-app
cd my-app

docker compose up -d    # PostgreSQL
npm install
npm run dev             # the whole backend + admin console, one command

Ecosystem

Where everything lives

Source github.com/jaredgrabill/ion-drive

Apache-2.0 monorepo — core, admin console, CLI, client SDK, plugins.

Block registry registry.iondrive.dev

Digest-verified building blocks — browse them here, install with the CLI.

npm @ion-drive/cli

npx @ion-drive/cli init my-app scaffolds a project you own.