How Retool works

Retool has 4 fundamental pieces to it:

1. Connect your data sources, like PostgreSQL, Salesforce, Firebase, and 20+ more
2. Build your queries and logic in SQL or Javascript
3. Connect your queries and logic to prebuilt components like tables, text inputs, and buttons
4. Organize and connect your components into an app

Retool isn't just a front end, though – we take care of a lot of the pesky logic that internal tools tend to require, like scheduling queries, updating and writing data, and triggers. Retool apps are easy to share with your teammates and stakeholders, and we offer granular access management and audit logs to keep things secure.

Getting started resources

A few resources to help you get started:

• A 5 minute quickstart to get your app up and running
• Connecting your data to Retool
• An overview of writing queries and Javascript in Retool
• Components / API reference
• A video tutorial: building your first app in Retool

For tactical advice and anything related to "How do I do ____ in Retool?" head over to our community forum – we've got thousands of searchable, answered questions (and you can always ask something new).

Integrations and support

Retool integrates with most major data sources that you'd need to build your internal tools, from databases like PostgreSQL and MySQL, to internal REST APIs and GraphQL, as well as external APIs like Stripe, Firebase, and Github. Check out our Integrations Overview for more information.

Our docs won't be able to cover everything, so if you have any issues, don't hesitate to reach out to support through Intercom on the bottom right, and check out our community forums to see what other Retool users are building and what problems they're running into.