Dreamfactory
DreamFactory is a secure, self-hosted enterprise data access platform that provides governed API access to any data source, connecting enterprise applications and on-prem LLMs with role-based access and identity passthrough.
Install / Use
/learn @dreamfactorysoftware/DreamfactoryREADME
Table of Contents
- What is DreamFactory?
- How It Works
- Key Features
- Supported Data Sources
- MCP Server for AI and LLM Integration
- Installation
- Documentation
- Community and Support
- Commercial Licenses
- FAQ
- Feedback and Contributions
What is DreamFactory?
DreamFactory is a secure, self-hosted enterprise data access platform that provides governed API access to any data source, connecting enterprise applications and on-prem LLMs with role-based access and identity passthrough.
DreamFactory is built on the Laravel framework and serves as a governed AI data access layer between your applications and data sources. Whether you're building internal tools, mobile apps, or connecting AI models to enterprise data, DreamFactory provides a single, secure AI data gateway.
Use Cases
- API-first development — Generate REST APIs for existing databases without writing backend code
- AI and LLM data access — Connect ChatGPT, Claude, or local LLMs to enterprise data via MCP or REST APIs with governed access controls
- Legacy database modernization — Wrap SQL Server stored procedures, Oracle databases, and mainframe data in modern REST APIs
- Microservices backend — Replace hand-coded CRUD APIs with auto-generated, documented endpoints
- Mobile and web app backend — Provide secure, role-based data access for frontend applications
- Data integration — Combine multiple databases and services behind a single API gateway
How It Works
DreamFactory connects to your database, introspects the schema, and generates a complete REST API with full CRUD operations, relationship handling, stored procedure access, and OpenAPI/Swagger documentation — all in minutes.
<p align="center"> <img src="https://raw.githubusercontent.com/dreamfactorysoftware/dreamfactory/develop/readme/mcp-data-flow.gif" alt="DreamFactory MCP Data Flow" width="800" /> </p> <p align="center"><em>See how DreamFactory connects AI models, applications, databases, and file storage services through governed MCP and REST API endpoints.</em></p>Quick Start:
- Install DreamFactory on Linux, Windows, Docker, or Kubernetes
- Connect a database (MySQL, PostgreSQL, SQL Server, MongoDB, etc.)
- DreamFactory auto-generates a REST API with full OpenAPI documentation
- Configure roles, API keys, and access controls
- Call your APIs from any application, script, or AI model
Key Features
API Generation
- Automatic REST API creation for SQL and NoSQL databases — no code required
- OpenAPI/Swagger documentation generated automatically for every endpoint
- Stored procedure and function support — expose database logic as API endpoints
- Related data retrieval — fetch parent/child records in a single API call
- Server-side filtering, sorting, and pagination built into every endpoint
- Bulk insert, update, and delete operations for high-throughput data access
Security and Access Control
- Role-based access control (RBAC) — granular permissions per table, endpoint, and HTTP verb
- API key management — issue, revoke, and rate-limit API keys per application
- SSO authentication — SAML 2.0, OAuth 2.0, OpenID Connect, Azure AD, LDAP/Active Directory
- API rate limiting — throttle requests per user, role, or service
- Audit logging — track every API call with user, timestamp, and payload
- Data masking and field-level security — control which columns are visible per role
Extensibility
- Server-side scripting — customize API behavior with PHP, Python, or Node.js at any endpoint
- Pre- and post-process event scripts — transform requests and responses
- Custom service creation — build and register your own API services
- Webhook and event broadcasting — trigger external workflows on data changes
MCP Server (Model Context Protocol)
- Built-in MCP server for connecting AI models (ChatGPT, Claude, local LLMs) to your databases
- Governed AI data access — AI queries go through DreamFactory's RBAC and audit logging
- Deterministic database queries — AI uses structured API calls, not raw SQL generation
- Tool definitions — expose database tables and stored procedures as MCP tools
Administration
- Web-based admin console — manage services, roles, users, and API keys from a browser
- Multi-tenant support — host multiple isolated API environments on a single instance
- Database schema management — create, modify, and manage tables via API or admin UI
- API usage dashboards — monitor request volume, errors, and performance
Supported Data Sources
DreamFactory connects to a wide range of databases and services out of the box.
SQL Databases
| Database | Connector Package | Features | |---|---|---| | MySQL / MariaDB | df-mysqldb | Full CRUD, stored procedures, views, relationships | | PostgreSQL | df-sqldb | Full CRUD, stored procedures, views, relationships | | SQL Server | df-sqlsrv | Full CRUD, stored procedures, views, relationships | | Oracle | df-oracledb | Full CRUD, stored procedures, views, relationships | | SQLite | df-sqldb | Full CRUD, views | | IBM Db2 | df-ibmdb2 | Full CRUD, stored procedures | | SAP SQL Anywhere | df-sqlanywhere | Full CRUD, stored procedures | | Firebird | df-firebird | Full CRUD, stored procedures | | Snowflake | df-snowflake | Full CRUD, views | | Apache Spark / Databricks | df-spark | Full CRUD, Spark SQL |
NoSQL Databases
| Database | Connector Package | |---|---| | MongoDB | df-mongodb | | Apache Cassandra | df-cassandra | | Couchbase | df-couchbase | | CouchDB | df-couchdb |
File Storage and Other Services
| Service | Description | |---|---| | Local File Storage | Manage files and folders via REST API | | AWS S3 | Amazon S3 bucket operations | | Azure Blob Storage | Azure blob and container management | | SFTP / FTP | Remote file system access | | Email (SMTP) | Send emails via API | | Push Notifications | Apple and Google push notifications | | SOAP Services | Convert SOAP/WSDL services to REST |
MCP Server for AI and LLM Integration
DreamFactory includes a built-in MCP (Model Context Protocol) server that enables AI assistants and large language models to securely query your databases through governed API endpoints.
Why Use DreamFactory as an MCP Server?
- No raw SQL generation — AI models call structured API endpoints instead of generating unpredictab
