Local Development Server

Develop your app locally with the CLI development server. No account needed, no setup required—just start building.

Quick start

Make sure you’ve installed the CLI, then run:

backend server

Your local StaticBackend API is now running at http://localhost:8099

What you can do

With the local development server, you can:

• ✅ Build your entire app offline
• ✅ Test authentication, database, and file storage
• ✅ Develop without consuming your managed hosting quota
• ✅ Work on planes, trains, or anywhere without internet

The local server has the exact same API as production, so your code works the same everywhere.

Using with your app

Initialize StaticBackend in your code with the “dev” region:

import { Backend } from '@staticbackend/js';

// Use "dev" region for local development
const backend = new Backend('any-pub-key', 'dev');

// The library will automatically connect to localhost:8099

The public key can be any value when using the dev server—it’s not validated locally.

Data persistence

Default: In-Memory (Temporary)

By default, data is stored in memory and cleared when the server stops. Perfect for quick tests and experimentation.

backend server
# Data will be lost on restart

Persistent: SQLite (Recommended for development)

To keep your data across restarts, use the --persist-data flag:

backend server --persist-data

This uses SQLite to store data permanently on your local machine. Your development data persists until you manually delete it.

When to use persistent mode:

• Building a feature over multiple sessions
• Testing with realistic data
• Demonstrating your app to someone
• Want to avoid re-creating test data

Custom port

The server runs on port 8099 by default. Change it if needed:

backend server -p 8088

Update your app to connect to the new port:

const backend = new Backend('any-pub-key', 'dev', 'http://localhost:8088');

Limitations

The in-memory database has minor limitations:

• in and !in query operators have reduced functionality
• No file upload persistence (files lost on restart)

Solution: Use --persist-data mode for full feature parity with production.

Stop the server

Press Ctrl+C in the terminal where the server is running.

Switching to production

When you’re ready to deploy:

1. Create a managed account or self-host
2. Get your production API keys
3. Change the region from "dev" to "na1" in your code:

// Development
const backend = new Backend('any-pub-key', 'dev');

// Production (managed hosting)
const backend = new Backend('your-real-public-key', 'na1');

That’s it! Your app now uses the production backend with zero code changes.

Common workflows

Test then deploy

# 1. Develop locally
backend server --persist-data

# 2. Test your app at http://localhost:3000 (or your dev server)

# 3. When ready, change region to 'na1' and deploy

Multiple projects

Each project can run its own dev server on different ports:

# Project 1
cd ~/projects/app1
backend server -p 8099

# Project 2 (different terminal)
cd ~/projects/app2
backend server -p 8088

Next steps

• View quickstart - Set up production hosting
• Read tutorials - Build real features
• See CLI commands - Learn more CLI features

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