Baserow Appsmith Integration: REST API Setup Guide

Appsmith builds custom admin panels, dashboards, and CRUD applications, and the open-source edition of Baserow serves as their relational data backend - the connection runs through one secured Datasource in Appsmith and a Baserow database token, and this guide covers setting up that datasource, the read and write query patterns, and a two-step file upload flow.

Overview

A central Datasource is the bridge for the whole integration: every read, create, update, and delete query goes through the same secured connection in Appsmith, so the Baserow token never gets copied into individual queries by hand.

Prerequisites

• Baserow: a database (API) token with Create, Read, Update, and Delete permissions.
• Appsmith: an account - Cloud or self-hosted.

Step 1: Configure the Universal Datasource

Avoid hardcoding the API token into every query - use Appsmith’s Authenticated Datasource feature to keep the token on the server and reuse it across the whole application.

1. In Appsmith, go to Datasources → New Datasource → Authenticated API.
2. Name: Baserow API.
3. URL: https://api.baserow.io (or the self-hosted instance URL).
4. Authentication:
   • Type: API Key.
   • Key: Authorization
   • Value: Token [YOUR_DATABASE_TOKEN] (keep a space between “Token” and the token value).
   • Add To: Header.
5. Click Save.

Step 2: The Read Pattern (GET)

To populate a Table or List widget with data from Baserow:

1. Create a new query from the Baserow API datasource.
2. Method: GET
3. Path: /api/database/rows/table/[TABLE_ID]/
4. Parameters:
   • Key: user_field_names | Value: true (required, or fields come back as field_123 instead of their names).
5. Bind to Widget: in the Table widget’s Table Data property, enter {{ get_rows.data.results }}.

Step 3: The Write Pattern (POST/PATCH)

Baserow uses POST to create rows and PATCH to update them.

Create a Row (POST)

• Path: /api/database/rows/table/[TABLE_ID]/
• Parameter: user_field_names = true
• Body (JSON):

{
  "Name": "{{ InputName.text }}",
  "Status": "{{ SelectStatus.selectedOptionValue }}",
  "Active": {{ CheckboxActive.isChecked }}
}

Update a Row (PATCH)

Target the specific row ID.

• Path: /api/database/rows/table/[TABLE_ID]/{{ Table1.triggeredRow.id }}/
• Body (JSON): include only the fields that need to change.

{
  "Status": "Archived"
}

Step 4: The Two-Step File Upload Pattern

Baserow handles files differently from most simple APIs - a file cannot be sent directly to a row. It must first be (1) uploaded to the server, then (2) linked to the row.

Action A: Upload the Binary (Helper Query)

Create a query named upload_file.

• Method: POST
• Path: /api/user-files/upload-file/
• Headers: Content-Type: multipart/form-data
• Body: Form Data
  • Key: file | Type: File | Value: {{ FilePicker1.files[0] }}

Response: Baserow returns a name hash (for example, "abcd-1234-image.png").

Action B: Link to the Row (Main Query)

Create a query named link_file_to_row.

• Method: PATCH
• Path: /api/database/rows/table/[TABLE_ID]/{{ Table1.selectedRow.id }}/
• Body (JSON):

{
  "Documents": [
    {
      "name": "{{ upload_file.data.name }}"
    }
  ]
}

Workflow Logic

On the FilePicker widget, set the onFilesSelected event to run a JS object:

export default {
  async handleUpload() {
    // 1. Upload the file to Baserow storage
    await upload_file.run();

    // 2. Link the new file hash to the target row
    await link_file_to_row.run();

    // 3. Refresh the table to show the new file
    await get_rows.run();
  }
}

Best Practices

• Pagination. Enable Server Side Pagination on the Appsmith Table widget and pass &page={{Table1.pageNo}} to the Baserow GET query - this keeps large tables fast to load.
• Select fields. If the Baserow table has a single select field , creating a row through the API requires the exact option text (case-sensitive) or the option’s numeric ID.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need a separate automation service between Appsmith and Baserow? No - both the read and write patterns run directly on the Baserow database REST API and a single Appsmith Datasource; a middleware service can be added, but it is not required.

What happens if a file is sent along with the other row fields in one request? Nothing gets saved - Baserow only accepts files through the dedicated upload endpoint, so the create or update request always runs after the file has already been uploaded and its hash retrieved.

How should a large Baserow table be handled in an Appsmith list or table? Use the GET query’s page parameter together with the widget’s server-side pagination - Appsmith then requests rows page by page instead of loading the whole table at once.

Related reading: database (API) tokens for scoping what a third-party app can reach, and the Baserow REST API overview for the full list of endpoints for reading, writing, and deleting rows.