What is CRUD App and how to use the ILLA cloud to build CRUD Apps?
the concept of CRUD, its significance in database programming, and how ILLA Cloud's innovative platform, specifically ILLA Builder, can empower you to effortlessly build a feature-rich CRUD app.

In the world of application development, CRUD operations play a vital role. Whether you're a seasoned developer or just starting your coding journey, understanding how to create a CRUD app is essential. In this comprehensive guide, we will explore the concept of CRUD, its significance in database programming, and how ILLA Cloud's innovative platform, specifically ILLA Builder, can empower you to effortlessly build a feature-rich CRUD app. Let's dive in!
Understanding CRUD Operations
What is CRUD and Why is it Important?
In the realm of software development and database management, CRUD is an acronym that stands for Create, Read, Update, and Delete. It refers to the four fundamental operations that can be performed on data stored in a database. CRUD operations form the backbone of data management in applications. They provide a standardized approach for creating, reading, updating, and deleting data, enabling efficient data manipulation and interaction. Understanding and implementing CRUD operations effectively is key to developing robust, user-friendly applications.
The Four Essential CRUD Operations Explained (Create, Read, Update, Delete)
CRUD operations are the building blocks of most applications as they enable developers to interact with and manipulate data effectively.
Create:
The "Create" operation involves adding new data records or entities to the database. It allows users to input data through forms or interfaces, which is then stored in the database. For instance, in an e-commerce application, the "Create" operation would be responsible for adding new products to the product catalog.
Read:
The "Read" operation retrieves and retrieves data from the database. It enables users to access specific records, view data in reports, or display information on user interfaces. The "Read" operation is crucial for presenting data to users and fetching relevant information. For example, in a social media application, the "Read" operation retrieves user posts for display on a user's newsfeed.
Update:
The "Update" operation allows users to modify existing data records in the database. It enables changes to specific fields or attributes of a record without altering its entire structure. This operation is essential for maintaining data accuracy and keeping it up-to-date. In a customer relationship management (CRM) system, the "Update" operation would allow updating customer details like contact information or preferences.
Delete:
The "Delete" operation involves removing data records from the database. It allows users to delete specific records or entities that are no longer needed or are obsolete. The "Delete" operation helps maintain data cleanliness and ensure database efficiency. For instance, in a task management application, the "Delete" operation allows users to remove completed tasks from the system.
Why is CRUD important?
The importance of CRUD operations lies in their ability to enable efficient data management and manipulation. Here are key reasons why CRUD is significant:
Core Data Operations:
CRUD represents the core functionality required for working with data in most applications. It provides a standardized framework for performing essential data operations and acts as a foundation for application development.
Data Integrity:
CRUD operations ensure data integrity by allowing controlled creation, modification, and deletion of data. By adhering to the principles of CRUD, developers can maintain data accuracy and consistency.
User Interaction:
CRUD operations provide the necessary means for users to interact with the application and manage data according to their requirements. Users can create new data, retrieve information, update existing records, and remove unnecessary data.
Application Functionality:
CRUD operations are instrumental in implementing various application features and functionalities. They facilitate tasks such as user registration, data search, editing user profiles, managing inventory, and more.
Data Persistence:
CRUD operations ensure the persistence of data, allowing it to be stored, retrieved, and manipulated over time. This is crucial for applications that require data storage and retrieval for ongoing use and analysis.
System Efficiency:
By following the CRUD principles, developers can optimize database performance and enhance system efficiency. Efficient data management leads to faster response times, an improved user experience, and streamlined application workflows.
The Role of a CRUD Repository in Database Programming
In database programming, a CRUD repository plays a crucial role in managing data and facilitating the interaction between an application and the underlying database. It serves as an intermediary layer that abstracts away the complexities of database operations and provides a simplified interface for performing CRUD operations. A CRUD repository serves as a vital component in database programming. It provides a layer of abstraction, separates concerns, and simplifies the interaction between an application and a database. By encapsulating CRUD operations and handling database-related tasks, the repository enhances code maintainability, scalability, and performance. It acts as a bridge between the application's business logic and the underlying data storage, facilitating efficient data management and manipulation.
Introducing ILLA Cloud and ILLA Builder
What is ILLA Cloud and Its Key Features
ILLA Cloud is a powerful cloud-based platform that empowers users to build and deploy internal tools and applications quickly and effortlessly, without the need for extensive coding knowledge. Designed with ease of use in mind, ILLA Cloud offers a range of features and functionalities that make it an ideal tool for building robust applications. ILLA Cloud offers a comprehensive and user-friendly platform for building internal tools and applications. Its no-code environment, seamless data integration, drag-and-drop interface, workflow automation, and flexible deployment options make it an ideal choice for businesses of all sizes. By harnessing the power of ILLA Cloud, users can unlock their creativity, streamline processes, and drive innovation within their organizations.
Overview of ILLA Builder and Capabilities
ILLA Builder is a powerful component of the ILLA Cloud platform that empowers users to create robust CRUD (Create, Read, Update, Delete) applications without writing extensive code. With its intuitive interface and a range of features, ILLA Builder simplifies the application development process and enables users to build highly functional and customizable CRUD applications. The capabilities of ILLA Builder include: CRUD Application Development, Data Model Definition, Drag-and-Drop Interface, Automatic Form Generation, Data Validation and Error Handling, Customizable Actions and Workflows, Role-Based Access Control, Responsive Design, Integration Capabilities, Extensibility, and Customization.
ILLA Builder empowers users to create powerful and customizable CRUD applications with ease. Its intuitive interface, automatic form generation, data validation, customization options, and integration capabilities make it a valuable tool for businesses seeking to streamline their data management processes and build efficient applications.
How ILLA Builder Simplifies CRUD App Development
ILLA Builder simplifies CRUD app development by providing a no-code environment with a drag-and-drop interface, automatic form generation, and seamless integration with data sources. It enables users to define data models, configure relationships, and set validation rules without writing extensive code. With built-in workflow automation, collaboration features, and flexible deployment options, ILLA Builder empowers users to rapidly create, customize, and deploy robust CRUD applications with ease, reducing development time and technical dependencies.
Exploring the Benefits of Using ILLA Builder for Your CRUD App Projects
Using ILLA Builder for your CRUD app projects offers numerous benefits. It simplifies the development process with its no-code environment, drag-and-drop interface, and automatic form generation, allowing you to build applications quickly and efficiently. The seamless integration with various data sources ensures real-time data access and manipulation. With built-in validations, error handling, and workflow automation, ILLA Builder enhances data integrity and streamlines business processes. Additionally, its collaboration features, responsive design, and flexible deployment options contribute to a seamless development experience. Overall, ILLA Builder empowers you to create powerful, customizable, and feature-rich CRUD applications, enabling you to optimize your data management and enhance operational efficiency.
Getting Started with ILLA Builder
After signing into your Illa account, you may start a project for your CRUD app and integrate a database as a resource. Here we will use MongoDB as an example.
Create MongoDB
There are two ways to create a resource in Illa
- Create in Resources
Sign into your Illa account, select Resources
on the top of the page, and click Create New
button.

Properties | Required | Description |
Name | required | The name for resource when creating actions in the ILLA. |
Config Type | optional | a type of collection used to store configuration data for sharded clusters. |
Hostname | required | The URL or IP address for your database |
Connection format | required | the syntax used to specify the connection string for connecting to a MongoDB database or cluster. |
Port | required | The server host's port number that you should use to connect. If you don't specify a port, default port is '3306'. |
Database | required | The name of the database |
Username | required | the username you wish to use when logging in to the MongoDB server. |
Password | required | Use this password for authentication. |
SSL options | optional | decides how high a secure SSL TCP/IP connection is prioritized while negotiating with the server. |
Create Actions
We have created a MongoDB resource, we can add the action by selecting MongoDB from action list and choosing the Create action
button.

Now we have added the MongoDB server as an action to our building page.

Configure MongoDB
Overview
Method Name | Description |
Action Type | a set of operations MongoDB can act in Illa, including the fundamental four CRUD operations and more: aggregate, bulkwrite, count, deleteMany. deleteOne, distinct, find, findOne |
Collection | group of related documents that are stored together in a database |
Transformer | transforming data into the style you like using JavaScript |
Aggregate
process multiple documents and return computed results.
Input
Properties | Required | Description |
Aggregation | optional | defines the operations to be performed on the data |
For example, to get all the results whose size is medium=>group the results by type=>Calculate the sum of prices in each type for Aggregation
:
[
{
"$match": { "size": "medium" }
},
{
"$group": { "_id": "$type", "totalQuantity": { "$sum": "$price" } }
}
]
Output
An array of the computed results.

Use {{
mongodb1.data
[0].result}}
to get all.

Bulkwrite
perform multiple write operations (insert, update, and delete) in a single request to the server
Input
Properties | Required | Description |
Operations | optional | an object that specifies the type of operation to perform and the data to be written |
An example for Operations
:
[
{ "insertOne": { "document": { "_id": 3, "type": "beef", "size": "medium", "price": 6 } } },
{ "insertOne": { "document": { "_id": 4, "type": "sausage", "size": "large", "price": 10 } } },
{ "updateOne": {
"filter": { "type": "cheese" },
"update": { "$set": { "price": 8 } }
}
}
]
Output
The updated message is showing below.

Since this method make changes but does not return anything. There is no output data to access.
Count
count the number of documents that match a given query in a collection
Input
Properties | Required | Description |
Query | optional | specifies the selection criteria for the count operation |
For example, to count the number of item with type “beef”, we may put below code into Query
:
{"type":"beef"}
Output
The number of matching documents.

Use {{
mongodb1.data
}}
to get it.

deleteMany
delete multiple documents that match a given filter in a collection.
Input
Properties | Required | Description |
Filter | optional | specifies the selection criteria for the delete operation, If not specified, all documents in this collection will be deleted. |
For example, to delete apples from items. We may put code below to Filter
.
{"type":"apple"}
Output
The number of matching documents.

Use {{
mongodb1.data
[0].result.DeletedCount}}
to get it. If no files are matched, the returned value will be 0.

deleteOne
delete one document that match a given filter in a collection.
Input
Properties | Required | Description |
Filter | optional | specifies the selection criteria for the delete operation |
For example, to delete an apple from items. We may put code below to Filter
.
{"type":"apple"}
Output
Delete result.

Use {{
mongodb1.data
[0].result.DeletedCount}}
to get it. If no files are matched, the returned value will be 0 (Since we deleted all the apples in deleteMany
, there is no apple left, thus return 0).

distinct
retrieve an array of unique values for a specified field in a collection
Input
Properties | Required | Description |
Query | optional | specifies the selection criteria for the distinct operation |
Field | required | specifies the field to retrieve the distinct values from. |
For example, we may have {"type":"orange"}
for Query
and _id
for Field
.
Output
an array of distinct values

Use {{
mongodb1.data
[0].
result.map
(item =>({"result":item}))}}
to get the array.

find
retrieve documents from a collection that match a specified set of criteria
Input
Properties | Required | Description |
Query | optional | specifies the selection criteria for the find operation |
Projection | optional | specifies which fields to include or exclude in the query results |
Sort By | optional | specify the sorting order of the returned documents |
Limit | optional | limit the number of documents that are returned, default no limit. A limit of 0 is equivalent to no limit. |
Skip | optional | specify the number of documents to skip, default to 0. |
For example, to find the id, price, and type of all oranges sorted by their id.
For Query
, {"type": "orange"}
For Projection
, {"_id": 1, "type": 1, "price": 1}
For Sort By
, {"_id":1}
Note: replace “1” with “true” still do it!
Output
An array of objects of documents

Use {{
mongodb1.data
[0].result}}
to get the array.

findOne
retrieve the first document from a collection that match a specified set of criteria
Input
Properties | Required | Description |
Query | optional | specifies the selection criteria for the find operation |
Projection | optional | specifies which fields to include or exclude in the query results |
Skip | optional | specify the number of documents to skip, default to 0. |
For example, to find the id, price, and type of all oranges sorted by their id.
For Query
, {"type": "orange"}
For Projection
, {"_id": 1, "type": 1, "price": 1}
Note: replace “1” with “true” still do it!
Output
An array of objects of documents

Use {{[
mongodb1.data
[0].result]}}
to get the array.

CRUD Operations in MongoDB:
MongoDB is a popular NoSQL document database that offers flexibility and scalability. Here are examples of CRUD operations in MongoDB using its official JavaScript driver:
- Create: To insert a document into MongoDB, you use the
insertOne
orinsertMany
method.
Example:
const document = { name: 'John', age: 25 };
db.collection('collection_name').insertOne(document);
- Read: To retrieve documents from MongoDB, you use the
find
method with optional filters and projection.
Example:
db.collection('collection_name').find({ name: 'John' }).toArray();
- Update: To update a document in MongoDB, you use the
updateOne
orupdateMany
method with the desired filters and new values.
Example:
db.collection('collection_name').updateOne({ name: 'John' }, { $set: { age: 30 } });
- Delete: To delete a document from MongoDB, you use the
deleteOne
ordeleteMany
method with the specified filters.
Example:
db.collection('collection_name').deleteOne({ name: 'John' });
We may connect Elastic Search, Firebase, and SQL with similar integration steps.
- CRUD Operations in Elasticsearch: Elasticsearch is a highly scalable and distributed search engine that excels in full-text search and analytics. CRUD operations in Elasticsearch are typically performed using its RESTful API. Here are examples of CRUD operations:
- Create: To create a new document in Elasticsearch, you send an HTTP POST request to the designated endpoint with the JSON payload representing the document.
Example:
POST /index_name/_doc
{
"title": "Example Document",
"content": "This is the content of the document."
}
- Read: To retrieve a document in Elasticsearch, you send an HTTP GET request to the specific document's endpoint.
Example:
GET /index_name/_doc/document_id
- Update: To update a document in Elasticsearch, you send an HTTP POST or PUT request to the specific document's endpoint with the updated JSON payload.
Example:
POST /index_name/_doc/document_id
{
"doc": {
"content": "Updated content"
}
}
- Delete: To delete a document in Elasticsearch, you send an HTTP DELETE request to the specific document's endpoint.
Example:
DELETE /index_name/_doc/document_id
- CRUD Operations in Firebase: Firebase is a popular backend-as-a-service (BaaS) platform that offers various services, including a real-time database. Here are examples of CRUD operations in Firebase's Realtime Database:
- Create: To create new data in Firebase's Realtime Database, you use the
push
method to generate a unique key and set the value.
Example:
firebase.database().ref('path/to/data').push({
name: 'John',
age: 25
});
- Read: To read data from Firebase's Realtime Database, you use the
once
oron
method to retrieve the data at a specific reference.
Example:
firebase.database().ref('path/to/data').once('value')
.then((snapshot) => {
const data = snapshot.val();
// Use the retrieved data
});
- Update: To update existing data in Firebase's Realtime Database, you use the
update
method with the specific path and new values.
Example:
firebase.database().ref('path/to/data').update({
name: 'Jane',
age: 30
});
- Delete: To delete data from Firebase's Realtime Database, you use the
remove
method at the specified reference.
Example:
firebase.database().ref('path/to/data').remove();
- CRUD Operations in SQL: SQL databases, such as MySQL, PostgreSQL, and SQLite, follow a relational data model. Here are examples of CRUD operations in SQL using the standard SQL syntax:
- Create: To insert a new row into an SQL table, you use the
INSERT INTO
statement.
Example:
INSERT INTO table_name (column1, column2) VALUES ('value1', 'value2');
- Read: To retrieve data from an SQL table, you use the
SELECT
statement with optional filters and projections.
Example:
SELECT * FROM table_name WHERE condition;
- Update: To update existing data in an SQL table, you use the
UPDATE
statement with the desired filters and new values.
Example:
UPDATE table_name SET column1 = 'new_value1' WHERE condition;
- Delete: To delete data from an SQL table, you use the
DELETE FROM
statement with the specified filters.
Example:
DELETE FROM table_name WHERE condition;
With ILLA Cloud and its powerful ILLA Builder, building a robust CRUD app has never been easier. By harnessing the capabilities of ILLA Builder, you can streamline your development process, leverage database integration, and create feature-rich applications with minimal effort. Start your CRUD app development journey today with ILLA Cloud and unleash your creativity and productivity like never before.
Remember, CRUD apps are the backbone of many successful applications, and ILLA Cloud's comprehensive toolkit provides you with everything you need to bring your ideas to life. Embrace the power of ILLA Cloud and let ILLA Builder empower you to build impactful CRUD apps that meet your business needs with ease.
So, what are you waiting for? Sign up for ILLA Cloud and start building your next powerful CRUD app today!
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Source:
(1) ILLA Cloud x Hugging Face: use AI Model with Low-Code. https://blog.illacloud.com/illa-cloud-x-hugging-face-unleash-the-possibility-of-ai-model-with-low-code-tool/.
(2) About ILLA - ILLA. https://www.illacloud.com/en-US/docs/about-illa.
(3) ILLA Cloud | Accelerate your internal tools development. https://www.illacloud.com/.
(4) ILLA Cloud - Product Information, Latest Updates, and Reviews 2023 .... https://www.producthunt.com/products/illa.
(5) How to Automate Tasks with ILLA Cloud. https://blog.illacloud.com/how-to-automate-tasks-with-illa-cloud-a-low-code-platform-for-internal-tools/.
(6) About ILLA - ILLA. https://www.illacloud.com/docs/about-illa.