# Building backend features with AI

> Just describe the feature and the AI designs your database, security rules, and server code — then builds the UI wired to it.

Source: https://knowledge.estage.com/cloud/building-with-ai/
Part of the ESTAGE knowledge base (https://knowledge.estage.com). Full corpus: https://knowledge.estage.com/llms-full.txt

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The fastest way to use your Dedicated Cloud is to **not touch it at all** — describe the
feature, and the AI does the backend work *and* builds the UI on top.

## How to ask for a backend feature

Just describe what you want in a normal sentence — no special syntax needed. For example:

- *"build a community feed where members create and like posts"*
- *"a booking form that saves requests and emails me"*
- *"live chat with moderation"*
- *"a members-only area with saved favorites"*

When your request needs to store or serve real data, the agent understands that from your
words and does the **backend** work first — you don't have to spell out "use a database".
(More on guiding the AI in [Steering the AI](/building/steering-with-tags/).)

## What happens during the turn

You'll see the progress live in chat:

1. **"Cloud: Working on your backend…"** — the backend agent inspects what already exists in
   your cloud, then does the real work, with substeps as it goes: *Running SQL…*,
   *Deploying function…*, *Enabling realtime…*
2. It creates the tables, **security rules** (who can read/write what), realtime
   subscriptions, and any server functions the feature needs.
3. **"Cloud: Backend ready. Building the UI…"** — the regular builder takes over and creates
   the pages and components, already wired to your backend.

The result is end-to-end functional: a visitor action on your published site really writes to
your database.

## If you don't have a cloud yet

Two paths:

- Ask for a feature that needs persistence ("save form submissions somewhere I can see
  them") and Genesis shows a card: *"This needs a backend… want me to provision a dedicated
  cloud?"* — answer **Yes** and it handles it (you'll be pointed to the plan picker if you
  haven't subscribed yet).
- Just describe the backend feature directly — same logic: with an active subscription it
  auto-provisions a Starter cloud; otherwise it points you to the Cloud tab to pick a plan.

Provisioning takes a few minutes; then re-send your feature request.

## Iterating

Follow-ups work like everywhere else in Genesis — and the backend agent stays in the loop when
the change touches data:

- *"add an edit button to each post"* — UI change wired to existing tables.
- *"also store the visitor's city on each post"* — schema change + UI
  update together.

## What your site's visitors get

Depending on the feature, your published site can now:

- **Sign up and log in** (email/password, magic links, or [social logins](/cloud/auth/) you
  enable)
- **Create and read data** with per-user permissions enforced server-side
- **See live updates** without refreshing (new posts, counters, chat)
- **Upload files**

You manage everything they create from the [Cloud workspace](/cloud/) — their accounts in
**Auth**, their data in **Database**, their files in **Storage**.

:::tip[Trust but verify]
After a backend build, open the **Database** tab — you'll see the tables it
created, and the **Policies** button shows the access rules in plain presets. It's a good
habit to glance at what got built.
:::
