Sounds impossible? Thanks to modern frameworks, low-code tools, and scaffolding generators, it's very doable. In this blog, we’ll walk through how to build a fully functional Go CRUD API using tools that minimize or eliminate manual coding—perfect for rapid prototyping, learning, or internal tools.
What is a CRUD API?
A CRUD API is an interface that allows users to interact with a database via four basic operations:
- Create: Add new data
- Read: Fetch existing data
- Update: Modify existing data
- Delete: Remove data
CRUD APIs are the backbone of most web applications, from blog platforms to inventory management systems.
Why Go (Golang)?
Go is a statically typed, compiled language designed for building fast and efficient backend systems. It’s simple, reliable, and widely used for APIs and microservices.
But while Go is great for performance, writing a full CRUD API from scratch in Go traditionally involves:
- Setting up a project structure
- Writing routes and handlers
- Connecting to a database
- Writing models and migrations
- Managing environment configs
- Handling validation and errors
That’s a lot. Thankfully, there are tools that automate most of this for you.
Tools to Build a Go CRUD API Without Coding
Let’s explore a few options that let you auto-generate a CRUD API with Go:
1. Buffalo
Buffalo is a rapid web development framework for Go. Think of it as Ruby on Rails, but for Go.
How it helps:
- Auto-generates project structure
- Comes with built-in ORM (Pop)
- Provides generators for models, actions (handlers), and more
- Scaffolds full CRUD operations with a single command
Example (one command):
buffalo generate resource user name:string email:string
This command:
- Creates routes
- Connects them to controller methods
- Generates model and migration
- Sets up database interaction
Then, just run buffalo dev and your API is live!
- Gorm + Go-Swagger/OpenAPI Generator
If you're using GORM, Go's most popular ORM, you can integrate it with tools like OpenAPI Generator to auto-generate Go code from an API schema.
Steps:
- Define your API endpoints in an OpenAPI (Swagger) YAML file.
- Use OpenAPI Generator to create the Go server stub.
- Integrate with GORM for database operations.
This workflow allows teams to design first (write the API spec) and generate the Go backend automatically.
- Low-Code Platforms with Go Support
Platforms like:
- Appsmith
- ToolJet
- Retool
let you connect a Go backend (or any REST API) visually, and some even offer auto-generated APIs for CRUD on a database. While they aren’t Go-specific, they integrate well with Go-based backends, allowing you to build admin panels and dashboards without coding.
Example Use Case: Creating a CRUD API for a “Book” App
Let’s say you want to manage a list of books with fields: title, author, and year.
Using Buffalo, you’d run:
buffalo new bookapi --api
cd bookapi
buffalo generate resource book title:string author:string year:integer
buffalo db migrate
buffalo dev
That’s it. You’ve created:
- A RESTful API with full CRUD
- Database tables and migrations
- JSON request/response handlers
No manual code written. Just commands.
Benefits of No-Code/Low-Code Go API Generation
Faster Prototyping – Build and test ideas quickly
Cleaner Codebase – Boilerplate code is automatically handled
Consistency – Uniform structure across APIs
Beginner-Friendly – Great for learning Go by seeing working code
Focus on Business Logic – Skip the scaffolding and focus on what matters
Limitations to Consider
Customization – You may still need to tweak logic for advanced behavior
Learning Curve – Tools like Buffalo or OpenAPI Generator have their own ecosystem
Not Truly Zero-Code – You may need to configure or hook up custom behavior manually
Conclusion
Building a Go CRUD API doesn’t have to be an overwhelming, code-heavy task. With modern tooling like Buffalo, GORM with OpenAPI, and low-code platforms, you can scaffold and deploy functional APIs in minutes—with minimal coding or none at all.
Whether you’re a beginner trying to understand API fundamentals or a pro looking to build quick internal tools, these no-code and low-code workflows help you move fast while staying in the Go ecosystem.
So the next time you think of Go and API development, remember: you don’t always need to start from scratch. Sometimes, the fastest way to write Go code is to let your tools do it for you.
Read more on- https://keploy.io/blog/community/building-a-crud-application-from-scratch-using-golang