# InsForge ELI5 Wiki

> InsForge is an open-source backend platform that gives AI coding agents instant access to databases, auth, storage, edge functions, and an AI model gateway — all through a single MCP server or CLI, so the agent can build and ship full-stack apps without a human doing the wiring.

This is a Grok-Wiki source-grounded repository wiki. Use the complete Markdown link when an agent needs the full repo context.

## Context Links

- [Complete Markdown wiki](https://grok-wiki.com/public/wiki/insforge-insforge-357039661319/llms-full.txt)
- [Complete Markdown alias](https://grok-wiki.com/public/wiki/insforge-insforge-357039661319.md)
- [Human interactive wiki](https://grok-wiki.com/public/wiki/insforge-insforge-357039661319)
- [GitHub repository](https://github.com/InsForge/InsForge)

## Repository

- Repository: InsForge/InsForge

- Generated: 2026-05-22T01:38:05.255Z
- Updated: 2026-05-22T01:41:25.793Z
- Runtime: Claude Code
- Format: Explain Like I'm 5
- Pages: 6

## Pages

- [Explain It Simply — What Is InsForge?](https://grok-wiki.com/public/wiki/insforge-insforge-357039661319/pages/01-explain-it-simply-what-is-insforge.md): InsForge in plain language: what problem it solves, the simplest useful mental model, and the three ideas a newcomer must remember before reading anything else.
- [Two Doors In — MCP Server vs. CLI + Skills](https://grok-wiki.com/public/wiki/insforge-insforge-357039661319/pages/02-two-doors-in-mcp-server-vs.-cli-skills.md): AI coding agents talk to InsForge through exactly two interfaces: a self-hosted or cloud MCP server (tool calls) and a CLI with bundled Skills (terminal commands). This page explains what each door does, when to use which, and what actually happens when an agent connects.
- [The Seven Backend Primitives — What Each One Does](https://grok-wiki.com/public/wiki/insforge-insforge-357039661319/pages/03-the-seven-backend-primitives-what-each-one-does.md): InsForge exposes seven backend services to agents: Auth, Database (Postgres + PostgREST), Storage (S3-compatible), Model Gateway (OpenAI-compatible AI routing), Edge Functions (Deno serverless), Compute (long-running containers), and Site Deployment. This page explains what each primitive is for and how it is wired in the codebase.
- [Inside the Backend — How Requests Travel from Agent to Database](https://grok-wiki.com/public/wiki/insforge-insforge-357039661319/pages/04-inside-the-backend-how-requests-travel-from-agent-to-database.md): A concrete walk-through of the Express server (server.ts), the three-layer architecture (routes → services → providers/infra), the PostgREST proxy pattern used for database record access, the Socket.IO realtime push, and the database migration system that bootstraps every InsForge instance.
- [Running InsForge — Self-Hosted, Docker, and Cloud](https://grok-wiki.com/public/wiki/insforge-insforge-357039661319/pages/05-running-insforge-self-hosted-docker-and-cloud.md): How to get InsForge running: the Docker Compose stack (backend, Postgres, Deno subhosting), the frontend dashboard (React/Vite, cloud vs. self-host modes), deploy targets (Render, AWS EC2, Azure, GCE), and the environment variables an operator must configure before the server boots.
- [The Short Version — One Mental Model to Keep](https://grok-wiki.com/public/wiki/insforge-insforge-357039661319/pages/06-the-short-version-one-mental-model-to-keep.md): A plain-English recap of InsForge: the core idea in one sentence, the single analogy worth keeping (InsForge is a universal power strip that plugs an AI coding agent into every backend service at once), the three things that move (requests from agent, config changes to primitives, state events back via realtime), and pointers to where to look next.

## Source Files

- `.claude/skills/README.md`
- `backend/src/api/routes/ai/index.routes.ts`
- `backend/src/api/routes/auth/index.routes.ts`
- `backend/src/api/routes/compute/services.routes.ts`
- `backend/src/api/routes/database/records.routes.ts`
- `backend/src/api/routes/database/tables.routes.ts`
- `backend/src/api/routes/deployments/index.routes.ts`
- `backend/src/api/routes/functions/index.routes.ts`
- `backend/src/api/routes/storage/index.routes.ts`
- `backend/src/infra/config/app.config.ts`
- `backend/src/infra/database/database.manager.ts`
- `backend/src/infra/database/migrations/000_create-base-tables.sql`
- `backend/src/infra/realtime/realtime.manager.ts`
- `backend/src/infra/socket/socket.manager.ts`
- `backend/src/server.ts`
- `backend/src/services/database/postgrest-proxy.service.ts`
- `CHANGELOG.md`
- `deploy/docker-compose/.env.example`
- `deploy/docker-compose/docker-compose.yml`
- `deploy/Dockerfile.deno`
- `docker-compose.override.yml`
- `Dockerfile`
- `docs/deployment/README.md`
- `docs/insforge-instructions-sdk.md`
- `docs/introduction.mdx`
- `docs/mcp-setup.mdx`
- `docs/quickstart.mdx`
- `docs/vscode-extension.mdx`
- `frontend/src/App.tsx`
- `GITHUB_OAUTH_SETUP.md`
- `package.json`
- `README.md`
- `turbo.json`