[GH-ISSUE #8436] [FR] Official SDK for building custom applications on AppFlowy data #3834

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opened 2026-03-23 21:33:28 +00:00 by mirror · 0 comments

mirror commented

2026-03-23 21:33:28 +00:00

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Originally created by @DrRuhe on GitHub (Jan 18, 2026).
Original GitHub issue: https://github.com/AppFlowy-IO/AppFlowy/issues/8436

Description

Introduce an official SDK that allows developers to treat AppFlowy as a data layer for custom applications. The SDK should provide typed, high-level abstractions over the existing AppFlowy Cloud REST/OpenAPI interfaces and CRDT-backed data model, making it easy to build tools, integrations, and full applications on top of AppFlowy workspaces and databases.

Impact

Build internal tools (dashboards, support tooling, small CRMs) that read and write AppFlowy databases and views without manual use of the API.
Lower barrier of entry compared to using the HTTP API.
Enable “AppFlowy as a backend” for custom web/mobile apps that treat AppFlowy as the source of truth for structured data, while keeping AppFlowy’s collaborative editor and AI features as the primary UI for content.

Additional Context

Strong typing and model-level abstractions (Workspace, Database, View, Row, Field) instead of raw JSON/Y-CRDT payloads where possible.
- Explicit support for:
- Authentication and workspace selection.
- CRUD operations on databases (rows, fields, views).
- Incremental sync (e.g. “rows updated since X”) where the API already exposes it.
Clear versioning and stability guarantees so integrators can rely on the SDK across AppFlowy releases

Originally created by @DrRuhe on GitHub (Jan 18, 2026). Original GitHub issue: https://github.com/AppFlowy-IO/AppFlowy/issues/8436 ### Description Introduce an official SDK that allows developers to treat AppFlowy as a data layer for custom applications. The SDK should provide typed, high-level abstractions over the existing AppFlowy Cloud REST/OpenAPI interfaces and CRDT-backed data model, making it easy to build tools, integrations, and full applications on top of AppFlowy workspaces and databases. ### Impact - Build internal tools (dashboards, support tooling, small CRMs) that read and write AppFlowy databases and views without manual use of the API. - Lower barrier of entry compared to using the HTTP API. - Enable “AppFlowy as a backend” for custom web/mobile apps that treat AppFlowy as the source of truth for structured data, while keeping AppFlowy’s collaborative editor and AI features as the primary UI for content. ### Additional Context - Strong typing and model-level abstractions (Workspace, Database, View, Row, Field) instead of raw JSON/Y-CRDT payloads where possible. - Explicit support for: - Authentication and workspace selection. - CRUD operations on databases (rows, fields, views). - Incremental sync (e.g. “rows updated since X”) where the API already exposes it. - Clear versioning and stability guarantees so integrators can rely on the SDK across AppFlowy releases

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