Back4app is the backend behind CRM apps. For REST you get clear GET/POST/PUT endpoints for Contact, Deal, Activity and X-Parse-Session-Token auth—no server to write or host.

REST API Template

CRM App Backend Template
REST API — Schema, API & AI Guide

Q: Why use Back4app for a CRM REST API?

Back4app provides a REST API for your CRM: GET/POST/PUT/DELETE on /classes/Contact, /classes/Deal, etc., with X-Parse-Session-Token auth and clear status codes.

Q: How do I list deals by stage with REST?

Use GET /classes/Deal?where={"stage":"qualified"}&order=-expectedCloseDate. Include X-Parse-Session-Token for authenticated requests.

Q: How do I create an activity linked to a deal?

POST /classes/Activity with JSON body: { type, subject, relatedTo: { __type: "Pointer", className: "Deal", objectId: " " }, createdBy: ... }.

A production-ready REST API CRM backend schema and Starter Kit on Back4app: Contact, Company, Deal, Activity, pipeline stages, ER diagram, data dictionary, JSON schema, API playground, and a one-click AI Agent prompt to deploy in minutes.

Build with AI Agent

Key Takeaways

On this page you get a production-ready CRM schema, a one-click AI prompt, and step-by-step REST API code — so you can ship a CRM app without building the backend.

Deploy in minutes — Paste the AI Agent prompt and get a running app with contacts, companies, deals, and pipeline.
Secure by default — ACLs and role-based access so users see only their assigned deals and data.
REST API-native SDK — Typed objects, async/await, offline pinning, and Live Queries for pipeline updates.
REST + GraphQL — Both APIs auto-generated; filter deals by stage, list activities by relatedTo.
Five classes — _User (built-in), Company, Contact, Deal (pipeline), Activity (tasks/events).

What Is the REST API CRM Backend Template?

A REST-first CRM backend on Back4app: standard GET/POST/PUT/DELETE on /classes/Contact, /classes/Deal, and related endpoints. Use X-Parse-Session-Token for auth and where/order for pipeline queries. Integrate from any stack — mobile, web, or server-side — with clear status codes and JSON payloads. No GraphQL or SDK required.

Best for:

Sales teamsCRM buildersRapid prototypingField repsMVP launchesTeams choosing a BaaS for CRM

Overview

A REST API for CRM: GET /classes/Deal, POST /classes/Contact, PUT /classes/Deal/:id, and so on. Back4app generates these endpoints from the schema; you send X-Parse-Session-Token for auth and use where and order for pipeline and list queries.

The schema (five classes: _User, Company, Contact, Deal, Activity) is the same as for SDK clients. Any HTTP client can integrate — mobile, web, or server — with standard JSON and status codes.

Core CRM Features

REST API CRM backend: endpoints for Contact, Company, Deal, and Activity with auth headers and status codes. Pipeline management and ACLs out of the box.

Contact management

Store and manage contacts with name, email, phone, company, and notes. Ideal for REST API apps.

Company management

Track companies with name, website, industry, and address. Links to contacts and deals.

Deal pipeline

Sales pipeline with stages, amount, expected close date, and assignment. Built for REST API backends.

Activity tracking

Log calls, emails, meetings, and notes linked to contacts and deals. Works with REST API SDK.

User & permissions

Built-in user model and pointers for ownership and assignment. ACLs out of the box for REST API.

ER Diagram

Entity-Relationship diagram for the REST API CRM app data model.

erDiagram _User { String objectId PK String username String email String password Date createdAt Date updatedAt } Company { String objectId PK String name String website String industry String address String notes Pointer createdBy FK Date createdAt Date updatedAt } Contact { String objectId PK String name String email String phone Pointer company FK String notes Pointer createdBy FK Date createdAt Date updatedAt } Deal { String objectId PK String title Number amount String stage Pointer contact FK Pointer company FK Date expectedCloseDate String notes Pointer assignedTo FK Date createdAt Date updatedAt } Activity { String objectId PK String type String subject String description Date dueDate Date completedAt Pointer relatedTo FK Pointer createdBy FK Date createdAt Date updatedAt } Company ||--o{ Contact : "has" Company ||--o{ Deal : "has" Contact ||--o{ Deal : "has" _User ||--o{ Deal : "assignedTo" _User ||--o{ Activity : "createdBy" Contact ||--o{ Activity : "relatedTo" Deal ||--o{ Activity : "relatedTo" _User ||--o{ Company : "createdBy" _User ||--o{ Contact : "createdBy"

Loading diagram…

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Mermaid

erDiagram
    _User {
        String objectId PK
        String username
        String email
        String password
        Date createdAt
        Date updatedAt
    }

    Company {
        String objectId PK
        String name
        String website
        String industry
        String address
        String notes
        Pointer createdBy FK
        Date createdAt
        Date updatedAt
    }

    Contact {
        String objectId PK
        String name
        String email
        String phone
        Pointer company FK
        String notes
        Pointer createdBy FK
        Date createdAt
        Date updatedAt
    }

    Deal {
        String objectId PK
        String title
        Number amount
        String stage
        Pointer contact FK
        Pointer company FK
        Date expectedCloseDate
        String notes
        Pointer assignedTo FK
        Date createdAt
        Date updatedAt
    }

    Activity {
        String objectId PK
        String type
        String subject
        String description
        Date dueDate
        Date completedAt
        Pointer relatedTo FK
        Pointer createdBy FK
        Date createdAt
        Date updatedAt
    }

    Company ||--o{ Contact : "has"
    Company ||--o{ Deal : "has"
    Contact ||--o{ Deal : "has"
    _User ||--o{ Deal : "assignedTo"
    _User ||--o{ Activity : "createdBy"
    Contact ||--o{ Activity : "relatedTo"
    Deal ||--o{ Activity : "relatedTo"
    _User ||--o{ Company : "createdBy"
    _User ||--o{ Contact : "createdBy"

Integration Flow

Auth-to-CRUD sequence: how your REST API app talks to Back4app — login, then query contacts and deals, update pipeline.

sequenceDiagram participant User participant Client as REST Client participant Back4app as Back4app Cloud User->>Client: Login Client->>Back4app: POST /login (username, password) Back4app-->>Client: sessionToken Client-->>User: Logged in User->>Client: Load deals and contacts Client->>Back4app: GET /classes/Deal?where={"stage":"qualified"} Back4app-->>Client: results Client-->>User: Show pipeline User->>Client: Create deal or contact Client->>Back4app: POST /classes/Deal (X-Parse-Session-Token) Back4app-->>Client: objectId, createdAt Client-->>User: Updated list

Loading diagram…

View diagram source

Mermaid

sequenceDiagram
  participant User
  participant Client as REST Client
  participant Back4app as Back4app Cloud

  User->>Client: Login
  Client->>Back4app: POST /login (username, password)
  Back4app-->>Client: sessionToken
  Client-->>User: Logged in

  User->>Client: Load deals and contacts
  Client->>Back4app: GET /classes/Deal?where={"stage":"qualified"}
  Back4app-->>Client: results
  Client-->>User: Show pipeline

  User->>Client: Create deal or contact
  Client->>Back4app: POST /classes/Deal (X-Parse-Session-Token)
  Back4app-->>Client: objectId, createdAt
  Client-->>User: Updated list

Data Dictionary

Complete field reference for every class in the schema.

Contact

Field	Type	Description	Required
objectId	String	Auto-generated unique identifier	auto
name	String	Full name of the contact
email	String	Email address	—
phone	String	Phone number	—
company	Pointer<Company>	Company this contact belongs to	—
notes	String	Free-form notes	—
createdBy	Pointer<_User>	User who created this contact	—
createdAt	Date	Auto-generated creation timestamp	auto
updatedAt	Date	Auto-generated last-update timestamp	auto

Company

Field	Type	Description	Required
objectId	String	Auto-generated unique identifier	auto
name	String	Company name
website	String	Company website URL	—
industry	String	Industry or sector	—
address	String	Physical or mailing address	—
notes	String	Free-form notes	—
createdBy	Pointer<_User>	User who created this company	—
createdAt	Date	Auto-generated creation timestamp	auto
updatedAt	Date	Auto-generated last-update timestamp	auto

Deal

Field	Type	Description	Required
objectId	String	Auto-generated unique identifier	auto
title	String	Deal title or name
amount	Number	Deal value or amount	—
stage	String	Pipeline stage (e.g. lead, qualified, proposal, won, lost)	—
contact	Pointer<Contact>	Primary contact for this deal	—
company	Pointer<Company>	Company associated with this deal	—
expectedCloseDate	Date	Expected close date	—
notes	String	Free-form notes	—
assignedTo	Pointer<_User>	User assigned to this deal	—
createdAt	Date	Auto-generated creation timestamp	auto
updatedAt	Date	Auto-generated last-update timestamp	auto

Activity

Field	Type	Description	Required
objectId	String	Auto-generated unique identifier	auto
type	String	Activity type (call, email, meeting, note)	—
subject	String	Subject or title	—
description	String	Description or body	—
dueDate	Date	Due date	—
completedAt	Date	When the activity was completed	—
relatedTo	Pointer	Pointer to Contact or Deal	—
createdBy	Pointer<_User>	User who created this activity	—
createdAt	Date	Auto-generated creation timestamp	auto
updatedAt	Date	Auto-generated last-update timestamp	auto

_User

Field	Type	Description	Required
objectId	String	Auto-generated unique identifier	auto
username	String	Login username
email	String	Email address
password	String	Hashed password (write-only)
createdAt	Date	Auto-generated creation timestamp	auto
updatedAt	Date	Auto-generated last-update timestamp	auto

Schema (JSON)

Raw JSON schema definition — copy and use in your Back4app app or import via the API.

JSON

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{
  "classes": [
    {
      "className": "Contact",
      "fields": {
        "objectId": {
          "type": "String",
          "required": false
        },
        "name": {
          "type": "String",
          "required": true
        },
        "email": {
          "type": "String",
          "required": false
        },
        "phone": {
          "type": "String",
          "required": false
        },
        "company": {
          "type": "Pointer",
          "targetClass": "Company",
          "required": false
        },
        "notes": {
          "type": "String",
          "required": false
        },
        "createdBy": {
          "type": "Pointer",
          "targetClass": "_User",
          "required": false
        },
        "createdAt": {
          "type": "Date",
          "required": false
        },
        "updatedAt": {
          "type": "Date",
          "required": false
        }
      }
    },
    {
      "className": "Company",
      "fields": {
        "objectId": {
          "type": "String",
          "required": false
        },
        "name": {
          "type": "String",
          "required": true
        },
        "website": {
          "type": "String",
          "required": false
        },
        "industry": {
          "type": "String",
          "required": false
        },
        "address": {
          "type": "String",
          "required": false
        },
        "notes": {
          "type": "String",
          "required": false
        },
        "createdBy": {
          "type": "Pointer",
          "targetClass": "_User",
          "required": false
        },
        "createdAt": {
          "type": "Date",
          "required": false
        },
        "updatedAt": {
          "type": "Date",
          "required": false
        }
      }
    },
    {
      "className": "Deal",
      "fields": {
        "objectId": {
          "type": "String",
          "required": false
        },
        "title": {
          "type": "String",
          "required": true
        },
        "amount": {
          "type": "Number",
          "required": false
        },
        "stage": {
          "type": "String",
          "required": false
        },
        "contact": {
          "type": "Pointer",
          "targetClass": "Contact",
          "required": false
        },
        "company": {
          "type": "Pointer",
          "targetClass": "Company",
          "required": false
        },
        "expectedCloseDate": {
          "type": "Date",
          "required": false
        },
        "notes": {
          "type": "String",
          "required": false
        },
        "assignedTo": {
          "type": "Pointer",
          "targetClass": "_User",
          "required": false
        },
        "createdAt": {
          "type": "Date",
          "required": false
        },
        "updatedAt": {
          "type": "Date",
          "required": false
        }
      }
    },
    {
      "className": "Activity",
      "fields": {
        "objectId": {
          "type": "String",
          "required": false
        },
        "type": {
          "type": "String",
          "required": false
        },
        "subject": {
          "type": "String",
          "required": false
        },
        "description": {
          "type": "String",
          "required": false
        },
        "dueDate": {
          "type": "Date",
          "required": false
        },
        "completedAt": {
          "type": "Date",
          "required": false
        },
        "relatedTo": {
          "type": "Pointer",
          "required": false
        },
        "createdBy": {
          "type": "Pointer",
          "targetClass": "_User",
          "required": false
        },
        "createdAt": {
          "type": "Date",
          "required": false
        },
        "updatedAt": {
          "type": "Date",
          "required": false
        }
      }
    },
    {
      "className": "_User",
      "fields": {
        "objectId": {
          "type": "String",
          "required": false
        },
        "username": {
          "type": "String",
          "required": true
        },
        "email": {
          "type": "String",
          "required": true
        },
        "password": {
          "type": "String",
          "required": true
        },
        "createdAt": {
          "type": "Date",
          "required": false
        },
        "updatedAt": {
          "type": "Date",
          "required": false
        }
      }
    }
  ]
}

Build with AI Agent

Use the Back4app AI Agent to build a real CRM app from this template: it will create the frontend, the backend (this schema, auth, and APIs), and deploy it — no manual setup. The prompt below describes this CRM stack so the Agent can generate a production-ready app in one go.

Back4app AI Agent

Ready to build

Create a CRM app on Back4app with this exact schema and behavior.

Schema:
1. _User (use Back4app built-in): username (String, required), email (String, required), password (String, required); objectId, createdAt, updatedAt (system).
2. Company: name (String, required), website (String), industry (String), address (String), notes (String), createdBy (Pointer to _User); objectId, createdAt, updatedAt (system).
3. Contact: name (String, required), email (String), phone (String), company (Pointer to Company), notes (String), createdBy (Pointer to _User); objectId, createdAt, updatedAt (system).
4. Deal: title (String, required), amount (Number), stage (String; e.g. lead, qualified, proposal, negotiation, won, lost), contact (Pointer to Contact), company (Pointer to Company), expectedCloseDate (Date), notes (String), assignedTo (Pointer to _User); objectId, createdAt, updatedAt (system).
5. Activity: type (String; e.g. call, email, meeting, note), subject (String), description (String), dueDate (Date), completedAt (Date), relatedTo (Pointer to Contact or Deal), createdBy (Pointer to _User); objectId, createdAt, updatedAt (system).

Security:
- Set ACLs so only authenticated users can access data; use role-based or owner-based rules where appropriate (e.g. assignedTo, createdBy).
- Use Class-Level Permissions so only authenticated users can create/read/update/delete these classes.

Auth:
- Sign-up (username, email, password) and login; support logout/session.

Behavior:
- Full CRUD for Company, Contact, Deal, and Activity.
- List deals with filter by stage and order by expectedCloseDate or updatedAt (pipeline view).
- List activities by relatedTo (Contact or Deal).
- Optional: real-time Live Queries for Deal and Activity for dashboard/pipeline updates.
- Optional: offline pinning for mobile (Contacts, Deals, Activities).

Deliver:
- Create the Back4app app with the schema above, ACLs, and any Cloud Code needed.
- Generate the frontend and connect it to this backend; deploy so the app is runnable end-to-end.

No credit card required

API Playground

Try the REST and GraphQL endpoints for the CRM schema. Responses from the example data above — no Back4app account needed.

GET

https://parseapi.back4app.com/classes/Contact

Headers

{
  "X-Parse-Application-Id": "YOUR_APP_ID",
  "X-Parse-REST-API-Key": "YOUR_REST_API_KEY"
}

Using This Backend with REST API

Connect to your Back4app backend using standard HTTP requests.

Get your API credentials

After creating your app on Back4app, find your Application ID and REST API Key in App Settings → Security & Keys. All requests require these headers.

Bash

# Required headers for every request
X-Parse-Application-Id: YOUR_APP_ID
X-Parse-REST-API-Key: YOUR_REST_API_KEY

Create a contact

Bash

curl -X POST \
  -H "X-Parse-Application-Id: YOUR_APP_ID" \
  -H "X-Parse-REST-API-Key: YOUR_REST_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"name":"Jane Doe","email":"[email protected]","phone":"+1234567890"}' \
  https://parseapi.back4app.com/classes/Contact

List contacts or deals

Bash

curl -X GET \
  -H "X-Parse-Application-Id: YOUR_APP_ID" \
  -H "X-Parse-REST-API-Key: YOUR_REST_API_KEY" \
  https://parseapi.back4app.com/classes/Contact

Update a deal

Bash

curl -X PUT \
  -H "X-Parse-Application-Id: YOUR_APP_ID" \
  -H "X-Parse-REST-API-Key: YOUR_REST_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"done":true}' \
  https://parseapi.back4app.com/classes/Deal/OBJECT_ID

Delete a deal

Bash

curl -X DELETE \
  -H "X-Parse-Application-Id: YOUR_APP_ID" \
  -H "X-Parse-REST-API-Key: YOUR_REST_API_KEY" \
  https://parseapi.back4app.com/classes/Deal/OBJECT_ID

Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about the CRM app backend template.

What is Back4app?

Why use Back4app for a CRM REST API?

How do I list deals by stage with REST?

How do I create an activity linked to a deal?

Ready to Build Your CRM App?

Start your REST API project in minutes. No credit card required.

CRM App Backend TemplateREST API — Schema, API & AI Guide

Key Takeaways

What Is the REST API CRM Backend Template?

Overview

Core CRM Features

Contact management

Company management

Deal pipeline

Activity tracking

User & permissions

ER Diagram

Integration Flow

Data Dictionary

Contact

Company

Deal

Activity

_User

Schema (JSON)

Build with AI Agent

API Playground

Using This Backend with REST API

Get your API credentials

Create a contact

List contacts or deals

Update a deal

Delete a deal

Frequently Asked Questions

Ready to Build Your CRM App?

CRM App Backend Template
REST API — Schema, API & AI Guide