Dev Diaries: Michael's Experience with Xano

At Fat Fish Digital, we're all about finding smart, efficient solutions. Recently, one of our developers, Michael, put that approach into action while working on Our Training Department’s Carpe Diem Coaching™ platform. The project required a backend to power both a mobile app and several admin web portals for their corporate coaching program. To tackle this, Michael used Xano, a no-code backend tool. Here’s a look at how he made it all come together.

Why Xano?

Xano was chosen as the tool for building the backend for the project after careful consideration of the project’s requirements. With a straightforward need to create and fetch data, Michael and the team decided that building a full backend from scratch wasn’t the best use of their time. Xano provided a much more efficient solution, enabling the team to focus on higher-level tasks.

"We realised the project had a fairly simple set of backend requirements...setting up a whole backend from scratch seemed excessive for the needs of the project. Xano allowed us to offload much of the database creation and management and instead focus on the ways it would interact with the app and web portals."

Xano’s rapid iteration process was a key advantage. Changes could be made and deployed quickly, allowing the team to keep up with evolving client requests and adjustments, which proved invaluable during the development of the coaching platform.

At first, Michael says he was uncertain about using Xano, as he hadn’t used a tool like it before. There was a bit of a learning curve getting accustomed to the scripting system, but once he got the hang of it, everything started to click, and development became much smoother.

Key Features and Benefits

Xano’s standout features were its API creation and database management tools. The system allowed the team to build new APIs quickly, which made it easy to adapt to changes as the project progressed.

"The ease and speed at which we could create new APIs meant we could experiment and iterate very quickly and also keep up with any changes from the client."

Xano also proved flexible when it came to integrations. The team was able to connect it with AWS to handle email and text notifications, demonstrating how well it worked with other third-party services.

Problem-Solving and Scalability

Although Xano worked well for the project’s simpler data requirements, Michael did encounter challenges when it came to more complex tasks, such as custom scripting and media uploads. These areas required extra time and effort, but Michael and the team managed to find solutions.

"[there was] definitely some friction when first trying to upload media and process it, but it just took some trial and error and reading of the documentation to get it right."

Xano was the perfect fit for this project, offering a solid and reliable backend that took care of the heavy lifting with database setup and management. This freed up the team to focus on more complex tasks. While Michael noted that a custom backend might still be necessary for more complicated projects, Xano is highly effective for projects with straightforward data requirements.

Looking Ahead: Xano’s Role in Future Projects

Michael says his experience using Xano on this project was positive, and he sees the tool as a great fit for future projects, particularly those with straightforward data needs. For smaller projects, Xano helps reduce the workload by handling backend tasks efficiently, making it a smart choice when the development team's brain power is needed for more complicated problem-solving.

The tool’s simplicity, speed, and ability to integrate smoothly with other services made it the ideal solution for a project of this size. His experience shows how no-code tools like Xano can help streamline development, freeing up teams to focus on building practical, effective solutions that make a difference.