| Primary job |
Create, validate, publish, and hand off the backend contract a customer-facing product depends on. |
Build operational applications, portals, automations, and agents over existing data and API resources. |
| Starting point |
Start from product requirements or a generated frontend that lacks backend resources and API behavior. |
Start from a prompt, existing data or API resource, template, or imported React code and assemble the operational interface. |
| User interface |
Backend-first; connects to external frontends and can serve a staged static project frontend. |
React-based web apps, native mobile apps, and external applications are core product surfaces. |
| Data and systems |
Creates relational product models and published API behavior inside the project runtime. |
Connects to customer databases and APIs and can use optional Retool data services as application resources. |
| Logic and automation |
Visual backend workflows, REST endpoints, validation, tasks, triggers, and publish gates define application behavior. |
Scheduled and webhook workflows, query blocks, ETL-style automation, and agents combine deterministic logic, LLM decisions, human input, and system actions. |
| API contract and handoff |
Dynamic REST routes include request validation and produce OpenAPI, docs, typed SDK output, snippets, auth notes, and publish-state context. |
Apps and workflows query connected resources; platform and integration APIs vary by product and plan rather than forming one generated product-backend handoff packet. |
| AI workflow |
AI-assisted backend work is review-gated and project scoped; hosted autonomous generation remains experimental. |
AppGen creates React-based applications from natural-language prompts, while Retool Agents and AI actions operate across connected systems. |
| Governance and release |
Auth, scopes, validation, draft/publish separation, integrity checks, testing, review, and selective restore govern backend changes. |
SSO, RBAC, audit logs, permissions, source control, branches, pull requests, and deployment workflows support governed operational software. |
| Hosting and deployment |
Hosted project runtimes and static frontend staging exist, with export surfaces but no generic customer self-host installer. |
Supports Retool Cloud, Retool-managed self-hosted, and self-managed single-tenant deployment options. |
| Pricing and maturity |
Self-serve dashboard setup is the default developer path; exact plan limits and managed-build terms require confirmation. |
Self-service plans charge by builder and user with workflow-run and AI-credit mechanics; enterprise governance and source control have additional plan requirements. |