backd

The pure-Dart client for backd: sign-in and sessions — the second-factor, enrollment and consent steps included — magic links and sign-in with a provider, collections and the query language, files (uploads, versions, signed links), function jobs, organizations and teams, push devices, consents, a cached app configuration, realtime live views, and the realm's generated types. Pure Dart — it runs in Flutter apps and in standalone Dart programs alike.

Install

$ dart pub add backd     # or: flutter pub add backd

The package's only dependencies are Dart-team packages (crypto for file checksums). It needs a dart:io platform — Flutter mobile and desktop, and standalone Dart; Flutter web is not supported yet.

A standalone script

// bin/shelf.dart — `SHELF_EMAIL=ada@example.com SHELF_PASSWORD=… dart run`
import 'dart:io';

import 'package:backd/backd.dart';

Future<void> main() async {
  final backd = BackdClient(
    url: 'http://localhost:8080',   // the tutorial stack: nginx in front of backd
    realm: 'shelf',
    storage: FileTokenStorage(
        '${Platform.environment['HOME']}/.backd-shelf.session'),
  );

  // The token lives in the file above: only the first run logs in.
  if (!await backd.auth.hasSession()) {
    await backd.auth.login(
      Platform.environment['SHELF_EMAIL']!,
      Platform.environment['SHELF_PASSWORD']!,
    );
  }

  final page = await backd.db('main').collection('assets').list(
        where: {'published_at': {'$notNull': true}},
        orderBy: '-published_at',
        limit: 20,
      );

  for (final doc in page.items) {
    final tags = (doc['tags'] as List? ?? []).join(', ');
    stdout.writeln(
        '• ${doc['title']} [${doc['kind']}] ${doc['url'] ?? ''} $tags');
  }
  stdout.writeln(
      '--- ${page.items.length} published assets${page.hasMore ? ', more…' : ''}');

  await backd.close();
}

• Backd's query language [link] https://backd.dev/docs/build/api/querying docs, backend
• Release checklist [note]
--- 2 published assets

The realm's types

backd types --realm shelf --lang dart writes types.dart from the realm's config — a ShelfRealm with every collection, function and configuration path typed:

import 'backd/types.dart';   // generated

final client = BackdClient<ShelfRealm>(url: url, realm: 'shelf');
final page = await client.typed.main.assets.list(
  where: {MainAssetsField.publishedAt: {'$ne': null}},
);

Documentation and the demo

The Dart client guide covers the sign-in step machine, OAuth on desktop, token storage, collections and the query language, caches, realtime, files, functions, organizations, consents, errors and retries. The Shelf demo in example/ is a Flutter desktop app exercising all of it.

No admin API, by design. Administration is for the operator's own tooling — the CLI, the admin UI and functions, all JavaScript. A client application holding admin capability is a footgun; a Dart program that truly needs the admin API calls the REST endpoints directly, knowingly.

Versions

backd is released on the same version as the backd server and backd-js (package:backd 0.9.9 goes with backd v0.9.9), so a backd X.Y always matches the server's X.Y. Before 0.9.1 it was versioned on its own as 0.0.x; a caret on a 0.0.x version allows nothing newer, so move a backd: ^0.0.5 constraint to backd: ^0.9.9.

Until a stable release is declared, a minor release may have breaking changes; the CHANGELOG lists them first, so read it on upgrades and pin the minor (backd: ^0.9.9 stays within 0.9.x).

License

See the repository's LICENSE.