Retool

Retool lets developers and non-developers build custom internal apps—admin panels, dashboards, CRUD interfaces—by dragging pre-built components onto a canvas and connecting them to any database or API. It handles authentication, state management, and hosting so you focus on logic.

What it does

You connect Retool to your PostgreSQL, MySQL, MongoDB, REST API, or GraphQL endpoint. Then you drag tables, forms, charts, and buttons onto a visual editor. Each component can run custom JavaScript or SQL queries. Retool auto-generates CRUD interfaces from your schema and handles user permissions.

Best for

• Engineering teams building admin panels for internal operations
• Operations teams creating dashboards without waiting for dev
• Startups prototyping internal tools in hours instead

Strengths

• Connects to any database or API without middleware
• Pre-built components (tables, forms, charts, maps) with real-time data binding
• Custom JavaScript and SQL execution inside components
• Role-based access control and audit logs
• Self-hosted option for security-sensitive environments

• Drag-and-drop UI builder — 100+ pre-built components including tables, forms, charts, and maps
• Database & API connectors — native support for PostgreSQL, MySQL, MongoDB, REST, GraphQL, and more
• Custom code execution — run JavaScript, SQL, or Python queries directly in components
• Auto-generated CRUD — Retool reads your schema and creates create/read/update/delete interfaces
• Role-based access control — granular permissions per user or group
• Self-hosted deployment — deploy on your own infrastructure for compliance