AppML – Databases Overview: Power Up Your AppML Apps with Backend Storage

Introduction – Why Use Databases with AppML?

While AppML is powerful for creating static data-driven apps using JSON or XML, real-world applications often require dynamic, persistent data storage. This is where databases come in. By connecting AppML with backend databases (like MySQL), you can create scalable apps with real-time content updates, user-generated input, and CRUD operations—all using minimal code.

In this article, you’ll learn:

• How AppML interacts with databases
• The role of PHP/ASP in database communication
• What types of databases you can use
• Live examples of fetching, displaying, and filtering data
• Best practices for security and performance

How AppML Connects to Databases

AppML does not connect directly to databases. Instead, it uses server-side scripts (like PHP or ASP) to query the database and return data as JSON.

The Typical Flow:

[AppML HTML View]
     ↓ appml-data="get-data.php"
[PHP/ASP Script]
     ↓ SQL Query
[Database (e.g., MySQL)]

The backend script fetches data from the database, encodes it as JSON, and sends it back to AppML to render in the browser.

Supported Database Types with AppML

Example: MySQL Database Integration with AppML

1️⃣ MySQL Table: employees

2️⃣ PHP Script: get-employees.php

<?php
$mysqli = new mysqli("localhost", "root", "", "company");
$result = $mysqli->query("SELECT name, department FROM employees");

$data = [];
while($row = $result->fetch_assoc()) {
  $data[] = $row;
}
echo json_encode($data);
?>

3️⃣ HTML View (index.html)

<div appml-data="get-employees.php">
  <h4>{{name}}</h4>
  <p>Department: {{department}}</p>
</div>

AppML fetches the data via the PHP script and renders it using placeholders.

Security Considerations

• Use prepared statements in your backend scripts to prevent SQL injection.
• Do not expose raw queries or database error messages.
• Validate all input on the server side before inserting into the database.
• Serve all data over HTTPS to protect sensitive content.

Filtering and Pagination with AppML + Database

AppML can dynamically pass filters to the server via controllers:

myAppML.onshow = function() {
  myAppML.sqlfilter = "department='IT'";
};

In your backend script, apply this filter to modify your SQL query:

$where = isset($_GET["filter"]) ? "WHERE " . $_GET["filter"] : "";
$query = "SELECT * FROM employees $where";

Sanitize input to avoid SQL injection vulnerabilities.

Best Practices for Database Integration

Summary – Recap & Key Takeaways

AppML makes it easy to build database-driven apps with minimal code by handling all view logic in HTML and outsourcing data operations to backend scripts.

Key Takeaways:

• AppML connects to databases through PHP/ASP scripts
• Backend returns JSON that AppML binds to HTML templates
• You can filter, paginate, and CRUD using AppML + backend logic
• Always validate and secure your backend scripts

With AppML + MySQL (or any SQL database), you can create interactive dashboards, CMS platforms, and admin panels—all without writing frontend JavaScript.

FAQs – AppML and Databases

Can AppML connect directly to MySQL?
No. AppML connects indirectly using PHP/ASP scripts that query the database and return JSON data.

What format should my backend return?
The script must return a JSON array of objects for AppML to render properly.

Can I use AppML with NoSQL databases like Firebase?
Yes, but you need a middleware (like a Node.js API) that queries Firebase and returns the result in JSON format.

Is database authentication handled by AppML?
No. Authentication and credentials must be securely handled in the backend (e.g., PHP environment).

Can AppML handle real-time data updates from databases?
Not natively. You can simulate real-time by polling the PHP endpoint or combining with other tools like WebSockets.