Getting started

Pikbase is a backend platform built around entities, definitions, and permission-scoped operations. The same contracts power the console, SDK, CLI, and MCP tools.

Choose your surface

Surface	Best for
Console	Exploring definitions, data, functions, and workflows
Entity Service	Application data access through the TypeScript client
gsb CLI	Development, inspection, and repeatable operations
MCP server	Permission-scoped tools for AI-enabled editors and agents

Before you begin

You need an account with access to a purchased Pikbase workspace. A workspace is called a tenant in backend APIs and CLI commands: the workspace code is the value you pass as tenantCode or --tenant. These are two names for the same workspace, not two resources to create.

Account signup creates your identity; it does not create a free workspace. If you do not have workspace access yet, start with workspace editions. For the full vocabulary, read workspaces and tenants.

Keep credentials server-side. Browser applications use the established authentication flow and the direct Entity Service client; never bundle an API key or client secret.

First steps

1. Sign in to the console and inspect an entity definition.
2. Use the query builder to verify the data shape and access policy.
3. Initialize the CLI with your workspace code.
4. Inspect the read-only tool catalog before running an operation.

gsb init --tenant your-workspace-code
gsb tools --read-only
gsb call getDocs --input '{"methodName":"query"}' --raw

To generate a React app for a purchased workspace, follow Build a React app from npm.

Continue with core concepts, then use the query reference for the exact request and response contract. Before accepting a production application, run the production readiness checks.