Data, accounts and Newly Backend

Newly v2, at app.newly.app and in Newly for Mac, builds your app to keep its data on the device unless it needs more. When your app needs accounts or data shared between people, the agent adds Newly Backend.

​

Apps start local-first

By default, a new app saves its data on the phone. There are no accounts, no server and no sign-in, and there’s nothing to host. The agent adds a backend only when your app needs one, for example when you ask for:

• sharing data between people
• more than one user, or user accounts and sign-in
• syncing data across devices
• payments

If your request doesn’t make it clear, the agent asks you one plain question first, such as whether other people should be able to sign in and see the same data. Answer in your own words.

​

What Newly Backend includes

When the agent adds Newly Backend, your project gets:

• A sign-in service for your app’s users. Email and password sign-in work right away. See Sign-in for your app.
• An API service for your app’s own server code and endpoints.
• A Postgres database for each environment.
• File storage for things like photos and uploads.

The first setup takes a few minutes. The agent sets up the backend, connects your app to it, and then tells you what your app can now do. You don’t need to run anything yourself. The backend code lives in the backend/ folder of your project, next to your app code. Database changes are made through migrations, which the agent writes and applies for you.

​

Dev and production

Newly Backend has two separate environments: The agent only works on dev, and it connects your app to your dev backend. Data you create while testing stays in the dev database and doesn’t appear in production. Shipping your backend to production is a step you take yourself, as the project’s owner or a project Admin. See Production and secrets.

​

See your backend’s status

On Mac: with a chat open, open Settings, then Publishing, and find the Newly Backend row. It needs the project folder on your Mac and a sign-in to the newly CLI. When both are in place, it shows whether the backend is connected, the status of dev and production, and the address of each dev service. Otherwise it tells you what’s missing. Click Refresh to update it. The row is read-only. The web app doesn’t show backend status. There’s no database viewer or log viewer in the app. If you’re comfortable with a terminal, the newly CLI can help:

• newly db url prints a read-only address for your dev database, which you can open in a database tool.
• newly logs shows recent logs from your dev services.

Both commands work for dev only. See Get your code to install the tool and sign in.

​

Things to know

• Background jobs: background queue processing isn’t available in Newly Backend.
• Other backend providers: Newly v2 doesn’t connect to Supabase, Firebase or other backend providers. Newly Backend is the backend for Newly v2 apps.
• Email: Newly Backend doesn’t send emails for you, such as password resets. See Sign-in for your app.
• AI features: your app can use AI models through Newly Backend without provider keys. See AI features in your app.

​

Credits

Hosting Newly Backend doesn’t draw down credits currently. The agent work that builds and changes your backend uses credits like any other agent work, and your app’s AI model requests use credits too. See How credits work. You need a positive credit balance to create a Newly Backend. See Running out of credits.

​

Related