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strongloop/loopback

★ 13,150JavaScriptAudience · developerComplexity · 3/5Setup · moderate

TLDR

LoopBack 3 is an archived Node.js framework that auto-generates REST APIs from data models and connects to MySQL, MongoDB, PostgreSQL, and more, end-of-life since December 2020, use LoopBack 4 for new projects.

Mindmap

mindmap
  root((repo))
    Core Features
      Model-driven API
      Auto CRUD endpoints
      Access control
      Auth via OAuth
    Database Connectors
      MySQL
      PostgreSQL
      MongoDB
      Oracle
    Optional Components
      Push notifications
      File storage
      Client SDKs
    Status
      End of life 2020
      Use LoopBack 4
      Migration guide
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Things people build with this

USE CASE 1

Learn how model-driven API generation works by studying LoopBack 3's approach before moving to LoopBack 4.

USE CASE 2

Maintain or migrate an existing LoopBack 3 application to LoopBack 4 using the provided migration guide.

USE CASE 3

Understand how to connect a Node.js API to multiple database backends including MySQL, MongoDB, and PostgreSQL.

Tech stack

Node.jsJavaScriptMySQLPostgreSQLMongoDBOracleMicrosoft SQL Server

Getting it running

Difficulty · moderate Time to first run · 1h+

End-of-life, no longer maintained. New projects should use LoopBack 4 instead.

Open-source license, check the repository for specific terms.

In plain English

LoopBack is an open-source Node.js framework for building REST APIs. A REST API is a way for software applications to talk to each other over the web, and building one usually involves a lot of repetitive setup. LoopBack was designed to reduce that work by generating much of it automatically. With LoopBack 3, you describe your data models (for example, a User, a Product, or an Order) and the framework generates a full set of API endpoints for creating, reading, updating, and deleting those records. It can connect to many different databases and services, including MySQL, PostgreSQL, MongoDB, Oracle, Microsoft SQL Server, and external REST or SOAP services. You can then add rules to control who is allowed to read or modify which data. The framework also includes optional components for push notifications, file storage, and user authentication via third-party services like Google or Facebook. It came with client libraries for iOS, Android, and browser JavaScript applications, making it possible to build a mobile or web frontend that talks directly to your LoopBack backend. However, this repository covers LoopBack 3, which reached end of life in December 2020 and is no longer maintained. The README prominently warns that no new pull requests or community support are accepted. Anyone starting a new project should use LoopBack 4, which is a separate repository and a significant rewrite with a different architecture. A migration guide is available for those moving from version 3 to version 4. If you come across this repo while researching API frameworks, the code here is historical. The concepts it introduced (model-driven API generation, database connectors, access control) carried forward into LoopBack 4, but the two versions are not directly compatible.

Copy-paste prompts

Prompt 1
Show me how LoopBack 3 auto-generates CRUD API endpoints from a data model definition, walk me through a User model example.
Prompt 2
I have a LoopBack 3 app and need to migrate it to LoopBack 4. What are the main breaking changes and how do I start?
Prompt 3
Explain how LoopBack 3's access control layer works to restrict which users can read or write specific model records.
Prompt 4
How do I connect a LoopBack 3 application to a PostgreSQL database instead of MongoDB?
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