What databases can be directly connected to WeWeb, and what are the steps?

Understanding WeWeb and Databases

WeWeb provides an easy solution for anyone looking to create a website without coding. It integrates with databases to provide dynamic functionality to your website such as managing e-commerce inventories, tracking site traffic, or delivering real-time updates.

As of the time of writing, WeWeb supports direct connection to Airtable and Google Sheets. Below, we will guide you through step-by-step processes for each of these integrations.

Connecting WeWeb to Airtable

Step 1: Create or Choose Your Airtable Base

Start by navigating to your Airtable account. Create a new Base or pick an existing one to connect. In the Base, ensure that the data is structured appropriately for a website; each table represents a different type of content, while each row within a table represents unique content items (e.g., blog posts, products, etc.).

Step 2: Retrieve Your Airtable API Key

Visit the Airtable API page: https://airtable.com/api and select the relevant Base. You'll be directed to a page with your Base's API documentation. From here, click on the "Authentication" section and copy the generated API key.

Step 3: Connect Airtable with WeWeb

Go back to WeWeb and click on "Settings" then "APIs". Click on "New API" and choose "Airtable API". Completing the form, paste your Airtable API key in "Api Key" and enter your Base ID which you can find at the top of the Airtable API page of your Base. Click "Test and save" to finalize the connection. After the connection is successful, you can now use the database in your website.

Connecting WeWeb to Google Sheets

Step 1: Preparing Your Google Sheets File

Google Sheets will serve as the database for the website. Each tab in your Google Sheets file will translate to a table in the database, and each row in a tab equates to an entry. Make sure the data is structured appropriately and the first row of each tab contains the names of the table fields/columns.

Step 2: Share Your Google Sheets File

Click on the "Share" button in the top right corner and make sure that the Google Sheet is either "Public" or "Anyone with the link can view". This is crucial so that WeWeb can access your data.

Step 3: Connect Google Sheets with WeWeb

Navigate back to WeWeb and click on "Settings", then "APIs". Click "New API" and choose "Google Sheets API". Input the URL of your Google Sheets file and click "Test and save". After the connection is successful, your Google Sheets file will be accessible as a database within WeWeb.

Now, you are able to use the power of either Airtable or Google Sheets with the simplicity of WeWeb to create a dynamic, data-driven website.