Building a CRUD App with Jetpack Compose?

overview in this guide, you'll learn how to develop a crud (create, read, update, delete) application using jetpack compose for android we'll illustrate how to manage data operations effectively by integrating your app with back4app the project begins by setting up a back4app instance named basic crud app jetpackcompose , which will serve as a solid backend infrastructure we'll outline how to design an optimal database schema by defining specific collections and fields—either manually or by leveraging back4app's ai driven tools this ensures that your app’s data structure is robust enough for seamless crud operations next, you will configure the back4app admin console, a user friendly, drag and drop interface that simplifies data management, making it straightforward to perform crud actions finally, you'll connect your jetpack compose frontend with back4app, utilizing either the parse android sdk (where applicable) or direct rest api calls, while enforcing strong security measures with advanced access controls by the end of this tutorial, you'll have an android application that supports essential crud functionality, complete with user authentication and secure data handling what you'll learn how to construct a crud based application on android using jetpack compose methods to create a scalable backend with back4app strategies for using the intuitive back4app admin console for data manipulation integration techniques with either the parse android sdk or rest apis prerequisites before proceeding, ensure you have the following ready a back4app account with a newly created project if you require assistance, check out getting started with back4app https //www back4app com/docs/get started/new parse app an android development setup with android studio make sure you have the latest version of android studio installed along with kotlin familiarity with kotlin, jetpack compose, and restful apis for a quick refresher, visit the jetpack compose documentation https //developer android com/jetpack/compose step 1 – initiating your project creating a back4app project sign in to your back4app account select the “new app” option from your dashboard name your project basic crud app jetpackcompose and complete the setup process create new project after setting up, your project will be visible in the back4app console, laying the groundwork for your backend configuration step 2 – crafting your database schema outlining your data structure for this crud app, you'll define several collections below are sample collections along with the necessary fields and data types, ensuring your backend is well prepared for handling data 1\ collection items this collection is used to store details about each entry field type details id objectid auto generated unique identifier title string name or title of the item description string a short overview of the item created at date timestamp of when the item was added updated at date timestamp for the last update 2\ collection users this collection manages user profiles and authentication data field type description id objectid auto generated primary key username string unique user identifier email string user's unique email address password hash string encrypted password for security created at date account creation timestamp updated at date last account update timestamp you can manually add these collections and fields via the back4app dashboard by creating new classes and specifying the necessary columns create new class you can set each column by choosing a data type, naming it, assigning default values, and determining if it is mandatory create column leveraging back4app's ai for schema setup the back4app ai tool can automate your database schema creation by interpreting a prompt that outlines your desired collections and fields this feature significantly accelerates project configuration how to use the ai tool access the ai tool log into your back4app console and navigate to the ai section input your schema description provide a detailed prompt outlining the collections and their corresponding fields review and apply after generation, examine the proposed schema and integrate it into your project sample ai prompt create the following collections in my back4app project collection items \ fields \ id objectid (auto generated) \ title string \ description string \ created at date (auto assigned) \ updated at date (auto updated) collection users \ fields \ id objectid (auto generated) \ username string (unique) \ email string (unique) \ password hash string \ created at date (auto assigned) \ updated at date (auto updated) using this ai method ensures that your database is structured correctly and optimized for your app’s needs step 3 – activating the admin console & managing crud functions introduction to the admin console the back4app admin console is a versatile, no code solution that allows you to oversee and manipulate your backend data effortlessly its intuitive interface supports drag and drop crud operations, making data management straightforward activating the admin console head to the “more” section in your back4app dashboard select “admin console” and then choose “activate admin console ” set up your admin credentials by registering your first admin user, which also establishes necessary roles and system collections enable admin app once activated, log into the admin console to manage your collections admin app dashboard performing crud actions via the console inside the admin console, you can add records use the “add record” feature within a collection (for instance, items) to insert new entries view/edit records click on any record to review or modify its fields remove records select the delete option to eliminate obsolete records this simplified interface boosts productivity by making backend operations both accessible and efficient step 4 – connecting jetpack compose with back4app now that your backend is configured, it's time to link your android app built with jetpack compose to back4app option a utilizing the parse android sdk add the parse sdk dependency update your build gradle file implementation 'com parse\ parse android\ latest version' initialize parse in your application class create or update your application class (e g , myapplication kt ) // myapplication kt package com example basiccrud import android app application import com parse parse class myapplication application() { override fun oncreate() { super oncreate() parse initialize( parse configuration builder(this) applicationid("your application id") clientkey("your client key") server("https //parseapi back4app com") build() ) } } implement crud in a compose screen for example, create a screen to list items // itemsscreen kt package com example basiccrud import androidx compose foundation layout import androidx compose foundation lazy lazycolumn import androidx compose foundation lazy items import androidx compose material button import androidx compose material text import androidx compose runtime import androidx compose ui modifier import androidx compose ui unit dp import com parse parseobject import com parse parsequery import kotlinx coroutines dispatchers import kotlinx coroutines withcontext @composable fun itemsscreen() { var items by remember { mutablestateof(listof\<parseobject>()) } launchedeffect(unit) { withcontext(dispatchers io) { val query = parsequery getquery\<parseobject>("items") try { val result = query find() items = result } catch (e exception) { e printstacktrace() } } } column(modifier = modifier padding(16 dp)) { text(text = "items", modifier = modifier padding(bottom = 8 dp)) lazycolumn { items(items) { item > row( modifier = modifier fillmaxwidth() padding(8 dp), horizontalarrangement = arrangement spacebetween ) { text(text = item getstring("title") ? "no title") button(onclick = { / trigger edit action / }) { text(text = "edit") } } } } } } option b using rest or graphql if you prefer not to use the parse sdk, you can interact with back4app directly using restful apis or graphql for instance, to retrieve items via rest suspend fun fetchitems() { try { val response = khttp get( url = "https //parseapi back4app com/classes/items", headers = mapof( "x parse application id" to "your application id", "x parse rest api key" to "your rest api key" ) ) // process json response accordingly } catch (e exception) { e printstacktrace() } } integrate these api calls into your compose components as required step 5 – securing your backend implementing access control lists (acls) enhance data security by assigning acls to your objects for example, to create a record accessible only by its owner suspend fun createsecureitem(itemdata map\<string, string>, owneruser parseobject) { val item = parseobject("items") item put("title", itemdata\["title"]) item put("description", itemdata\["description"]) // define acl so that only the owner has read/write privileges val acl = parseacl(owneruser) acl publicreadaccess = false acl publicwriteaccess = false item acl = acl try { item save() println("secure item saved successfully") } catch (e exception) { e printstacktrace() } } configuring class level permissions (clps) within your back4app console, adjust the clps for each collection this ensures only authorized or authenticated users can access sensitive data step 6 – managing user authentication setting up user accounts back4app utilizes parse’s built in user class for managing authentication in your jetpack compose app, handle user sign up and login using the parse sdk below is an example of a sign up screen using compose // signupscreen kt package com example basiccrud import androidx compose foundation layout import androidx compose material button import androidx compose material outlinedtextfield import androidx compose material text import androidx compose runtime import androidx compose ui modifier import androidx compose ui unit dp import com parse parseuser @composable fun signupscreen() { var username by remember { mutablestateof("") } var email by remember { mutablestateof("") } var password by remember { mutablestateof("") } column(modifier = modifier padding(16 dp)) { outlinedtextfield( value = username, onvaluechange = { username = it }, label = { text("username") }, modifier = modifier fillmaxwidth() ) spacer(modifier = modifier height(8 dp)) outlinedtextfield( value = email, onvaluechange = { email = it }, label = { text("email") }, modifier = modifier fillmaxwidth() ) spacer(modifier = modifier height(8 dp)) outlinedtextfield( value = password, onvaluechange = { password = it }, label = { text("password") }, modifier = modifier fillmaxwidth() ) spacer(modifier = modifier height(16 dp)) button(onclick = { val user = parseuser() user username = username user email = email user setpassword(password) user signupinbackground { e > if (e == null) { println("user registered successfully!") } else { println("registration error ${'$'}{e message}") } } }) { text(text = "sign up") } } } you can implement similar screens for login and session management additional features like social sign in, email verification, and password recovery can be managed via back4app's console step 7 – (not applicable) note deployment via web is not applicable in this mobile app context step 8 – final thoughts and next steps congratulations! you’ve now developed a complete crud application using jetpack compose and back4app you set up a project named basic crud app jetpackcompose , designed an effective database schema for items and users, and utilized the back4app admin console for easy data management moreover, you integrated your android frontend with back4app, applying robust security measures along the way what’s next? expand your compose ui enhance your application with additional features like detailed item views, search capabilities, and live data updates incorporate more backend logic consider using cloud functions, integrating third party apis, or implementing role based access controls further learning explore the back4app documentation https //www back4app com/docs and additional compose tutorials to optimize performance and explore custom integrations by following this tutorial, you now have the tools to build a secure, efficient crud backend for your android applications using jetpack compose and back4app happy coding!