Tools / Convex / Convex vs Xano
Reactive backend: database, functions, realtime in one.
Convex is a backend platform built around TypeScript. You write functions in TypeScript and the platform handles the database, serverless functions, realtime sync, search, workflow, and file storage. Data changes propagate to connected clients automatically, so the frontend stays up to date without you writing polling or websocket plumbing. The platform covers several pieces you'd otherwise assemble yourself: a document database with queries and mutations, authentication with 80+ OAuth integrations, scheduled and background workflows, full-text and vector search, and file storage. There's also an AI Gateway that lets you call major AI models through a single API, and "Components" — independent, modular TypeScript building blocks you can drop into a backend. Convex is open source and can be self-hosted or developed locally. It ships with AI coding support, including setup prompts and plugins for agents like Claude Code and Codex, plus templates for getting started with popular frameworks. The homepage shows comparison pages against Firebase, Supabase, and traditional SQL stacks.
Backend platform to build, run & govern AI-built software
Xano is a backend platform aimed at teams building AI-assisted software. It covers the full lifecycle in one place: you can build apps, APIs, and MCP servers with AI or in XanoScript (its own code layer), test workflows before shipping, deploy with versions and instant rollback, and observe what's running in production. A governance layer lets teams define business rules once and have them enforced automatically on every build. Under the hood it runs on a conventional stack — Postgres, Redis, Kubernetes, and Docker microservices — and generates OpenAPI docs automatically, with GitHub and GitLab CLI support. There's also an integrations marketplace, a template library, and developer tooling that connects to AI coding assistants like Claude Code, Codex, and Cursor. The site positions it for enterprise teams running business-critical workflows, with named customers including Siemens, BNP, Deriv, and Concentrix.