Manifest is an open source backend platform that consolidates auth, storage, CRUD, business logic, and an admin panel into a single YAML configuration file, reducing backend setup time for AI-assisted development workflows to minutes instead of days.
The Problem
Building a backend for a small application or prototype still requires configuring a database, writing auth logic, setting up API routes, and deploying a server. Even with Firebase or Supabase, you are tied to a vendor's pricing and data policies. For solo developers and small teams working with AI code editors, the overhead of spinning up a full backend is disproportionate to the project's scope.
How Manifest Solves It
Manifest reads a single YAML file and generates a complete backend: REST API endpoints, authentication, role-based access control, file storage, and an admin panel. AI code editors like Cursor and GitHub Copilot can read and modify the YAML directly, keeping the entire backend definition in a format the AI understands. Deploy on any Node.js server with no vendor lock-in. MIT license applies.
Key Features
- Entire backend defined in one YAML file: data models, auth, storage, and access control
- Instant CRUD API with support for 15+ data types and custom endpoints
- Built-in authentication and role-based access control turned on per-entity in YAML
- Auto-generated admin panel for managing application data without a custom dashboard
- AI-editor friendly: Cursor, GitHub Copilot, and Bolt can read and modify the YAML config directly
Who It's For
Manifest is best for solo developers and small teams building prototypes or internal tools with AI code editors, where a minimal, self-contained backend reduces time from idea to working API without vendor dependencies.
Compared to Firebase
Unlike Firebase, which is a managed cloud backend with per-operation pricing and Google infrastructure dependency, Manifest is self-hosted and YAML-configured with no cloud dependency or usage-based billing. Firebase scales better for production; Manifest is faster to set up and easier to audit for small projects.
