What is DreamFactory used for?

DreamFactory is a self-hosted enterprise data access platform that generates governed REST APIs from any database with built-in RBAC, API keys, and live OpenAPI docs. It is a good fit for secure, governed reads for LLMs; drop-in Model Context Protocol (MCP) server; and legacy modernization by wrapping mainframes with REST.

Is DreamFactory open source?

Yes. DreamFactory is open source under the Apache-2.0 licence. Its source code is on GitHub at dreamfactorysoftware/dreamfactory and is written mainly in Shell.

Is DreamFactory free?

Yes. DreamFactory is open source, so the software itself is free to use. A managed cloud version is also available.

Can I self-host DreamFactory?

Yes. DreamFactory can be self-hosted on your own server or infrastructure.

What is DreamFactory an alternative to?

DreamFactory is an open-source alternative to Amazon API Gateway, IBM API Connect and Axway Amplify. Other open-source alternatives to Amazon API Gateway include KrakenD, Orange API Gateway and Kong.

Is DreamFactory actively maintained?

Yes. The most recent commit to DreamFactory was on 24 September 2026, and the latest release is 7.7.1, published on 24 September 2026. The project has 1.8k stars on GitHub.

DreamFactory: open-source alternative to Amazon API Gateway

About DreamFactory

DreamFactory is a secure, self-hosted enterprise data access platform that provides governed API access to any data source. It connects enterprise applications and on-prem LLMs with role-based access and identity passthrough.

The platform instantly generates governed REST APIs from any database, with built-in RBAC, API keys, and live OpenAPI docs. It can be deployed on-premises, air-gapped, or in the cloud, and supports over 30 connectors including SQL databases, NoSQL, cloud warehouses, and SaaS.

Key features

Generates governed REST APIs from any database in seconds
Built-in role-based access control (RBAC) and API keys
Live OpenAPI documentation
Supports self-hosted, cloud, and hybrid deployment
Over 30 connectors including SQL, NoSQL, cloud warehouses, and SaaS
API gateway functionality with routing, auth, rate limits, and observability

Good fit for

Secure, governed reads for LLMs
Drop-in Model Context Protocol (MCP) server
Legacy modernization by wrapping mainframes with REST

Built with: Shell tools; Laravel tools; PHP tools
Tags: api management; rest api; data governance; self-hosted; llm; database

DreamFactory: questions and answers

What is DreamFactory used for?: DreamFactory is a self-hosted enterprise data access platform that generates governed REST APIs from any database with built-in RBAC, API keys, and live OpenAPI docs. It is a good fit for secure, governed reads for LLMs; drop-in Model Context Protocol (MCP) server; and legacy modernization by wrapping mainframes with REST.
Is DreamFactory open source?: Yes. DreamFactory is open source under the Apache-2.0 licence. Its source code is on GitHub at dreamfactorysoftware/dreamfactory and is written mainly in Shell.
Is DreamFactory free?: Yes. DreamFactory is open source, so the software itself is free to use. A managed cloud version is also available.
Can I self-host DreamFactory?: Yes. DreamFactory can be self-hosted on your own server or infrastructure.
What is DreamFactory an alternative to?: DreamFactory is an open-source alternative to Amazon API Gateway, IBM API Connect and Axway Amplify. Other open-source alternatives to Amazon API Gateway include KrakenD, Orange API Gateway and Kong.
Is DreamFactory actively maintained?: Yes. The most recent commit to DreamFactory was on 24 September 2026, and the latest release is 7.7.1, published on 24 September 2026. The project has 1.8k stars on GitHub.