--- title: "About DreamFactory - DreamFactory Documentation" source: "http://wiki.dreamfactory.com/About" canonical_url: "http://wiki.dreamfactory.com/About" converted_at: "2026-04-16T12:54:31.379Z" format: "markdown" converted_by: "html-to-md-ai" --- []() # About From DreamFactory Wiki [Jump to navigation](#mw-head) [Jump to search](#searchInput) ## Contents - [1 About DreamFactory](#About_DreamFactory) - [1.1 What DreamFactory Does](#What_DreamFactory_Does) - [1.2 How It Works](#How_It_Works) - [1.3 Deployment Options](#Deployment_Options) - [1.4 Use Cases](#Use_Cases) - [1.5 Contact and Resources](#Contact_and_Resources) - [1.6 About This Wiki](#About_This_Wiki) ## About DreamFactory **DreamFactory Software** is the company behind the DreamFactory platform — an open-source REST API generation and management tool used by enterprises, government agencies, and developers worldwide. DreamFactory eliminates months of hand-coded API development by automatically generating fully documented, secured REST APIs from any database or external service. ### What DreamFactory Does DreamFactory connects to your existing data sources and instantly generates production-ready REST APIs. Rather than writing boilerplate CRUD endpoints, authentication middleware, and API documentation by hand, DreamFactory handles all of this automatically. The platform supports over 20 database types — including MySQL, PostgreSQL, SQL Server, Oracle, MongoDB, and Snowflake — along with file storage services, email providers, and remote HTTP/SOAP connectors. Core capabilities include: - **[Role-Based Access Control (RBAC)](/Security/Role_Based_Access)** — granular permissions per endpoint, per role, per HTTP verb. Administrators define exactly which tables, fields, and operations each role can access. - **API Key Management** — [rate limiting](/Security/Rate_Limiting), usage tracking, and key rotation to control how APIs are consumed and prevent abuse. - **[SSO Integration](/Security/Authentication_Apis)** — authenticate API consumers via OAuth 2.0, SAML 2.0, LDAP, Active Directory, [Okta](/Security/Okta_Setup), or [Azure AD](/Security/Azure_Ad_Oauth). Supports identity passthrough so database queries execute under the caller's identity. - **Live OpenAPI Documentation** — every service automatically generates an [OpenAPI (Swagger) specification](/Api_Endpoints) with full endpoint documentation, [query parameter](/Query_Parameters) descriptions, and [error code](/Error_Codes) references. - **[MCP Server](/AI_Services/Mcp_Service)** — Model Context Protocol support enables AI assistants and LLMs to interact with your databases through DreamFactory's governed API layer. This is critical for organizations deploying on-premises LLMs that need controlled access to enterprise data. - **On-Premises Deployment** — DreamFactory runs entirely on your infrastructure. Deploy in air-gapped environments, behind corporate firewalls, or in regulated industries where data cannot leave your network. ### How It Works The typical DreamFactory workflow is: 1. **[Connect a database](/Generating_Database_Backed_Api)** — provide connection credentials for any supported database. DreamFactory introspects the schema and generates endpoints for every table, view, and stored procedure. 2. **[Configure access controls](/Security/Role_Based_Access)** — create roles that define which services, tables, and fields each API consumer can access. Apply rate limits and API key requirements. 3. **Consume the API** — applications, scripts, and AI tools call the generated REST endpoints using standard HTTP methods. DreamFactory handles authentication, authorization, query building, and response formatting. For advanced use cases, DreamFactory supports [scripted services](/Scripted_Services_And_Endpoints) for custom business logic, [event scripts](/Event_Scripts) for request/response hooks, and [advanced database features](/Advanced_Database_Api_Features) like transactions, stored procedures, and virtual fields. ### Deployment Options DreamFactory is available in several deployment configurations: - **[Docker](/Getting_Started/Docker_Installation)** — the fastest way to get started. A single `docker-compose up` command launches DreamFactory with MySQL, Redis, and a sample PostgreSQL database. - **[Linux](/Getting_Started/Linux_Installation)** — automated installer for Ubuntu, Debian, CentOS, and RHEL production servers. - **[Windows](/Getting_Started/Windows_Installation)** — Windows Server 2019/2022 with IIS. - **[Kubernetes (Helm)](/Getting_Started/Helm_Installation)** — official Helm chart for orchestrated deployments with configurable database and cache backends. - **Open-source** — the core platform is available under the Apache 2.0 license on [GitHub](https://github.com/dreamfactorysoftware/dreamfactory). - **Commercial editions** — enterprise support, advanced security features (SAML, LDAP, AD), and dedicated infrastructure options. ### Use Cases Organizations use DreamFactory for a range of data access and integration scenarios: - **Enterprise application integration** — connect legacy databases to modern web and mobile applications without custom middleware. - **AI and LLM data access** — provide governed, rate-limited database access to on-premises language models through the [MCP Server](/AI_Services/Mcp_Service) or standard REST endpoints. - **Partner and third-party API access** — expose controlled subsets of your data to external consumers with per-partner roles, rate limits, and audit logging. - **Internal tooling** — give development teams instant database APIs for prototyping, testing, and internal applications without waiting for backend engineering resources. - **Regulatory compliance** — deploy on-premises with full audit trails, identity passthrough, and fine-grained access controls to meet HIPAA, SOC 2, and GDPR requirements. ### Contact and Resources - **Website:** [dreamfactory.com](https://www.dreamfactory.com) - **GitHub:** [github.com/dreamfactorysoftware](https://github.com/dreamfactorysoftware) - **Getting Started:** [Docker Installation Guide](/Getting_Started/Docker_Installation) - **[Configuration Guide](/Getting_Started/Basic_Configuration)** ### About This Wiki This documentation is maintained by the DreamFactory team and covers installation, configuration, API generation, security, scripting, and AI integration. Content is version-controlled on [GitHub](https://github.com/dreamfactorysoftware/df-wiki) and automatically deployed to this wiki via a CI/CD pipeline that handles format conversion, SEO metadata, cross-linking, and content quality scoring. Retrieved from "[https://wiki.dreamfactory.com/index.php?title=About&oldid=825](https://wiki.dreamfactory.com/index.php?title=About&oldid=825)" [Categories](/Special:Categories): - [DreamFactory](/Category:DreamFactory) - [Getting Started](/Category:Getting_Started)