fusio is a free, open source api development & testing project written in PHP and released under Apache-2.0. It has 2,129 GitHub stars, 247 forks and 169 open issues, and was last pushed 7 days ago. On this registry it ranks #108 of 186 tracked projects in API Development & Testing, with 5 head-to-head comparisons available. It gained 12 stars over the last 30 tracked days.

What is fusio?

Fusio is a self-hosted, open-source API management platform and gateway written in PHP that turns internal business logic, legacy databases, and microservices into documented API products for third-party developers and autonomous AI agents.

What it is

Fusio is a self-hosted backend platform and API gateway written in PHP and released under the Apache-2.0 licence. It sits between internal infrastructure and the outside world: it exposes legacy SQL and NoSQL databases such as MySQL and PostgreSQL as REST APIs, routes and orchestrates traffic between distributed microservices, and hosts custom business logic written as reusable actions in PHP or JavaScript. Around the gateway it adds a developer portal, SDK generation, monetization, analytics, and AI-assisted development that generates backend logic and schemas from natural language prompts, with native Model Context Protocol support so backend logic can be published as tools for AI agents. It runs against MySQL, PostgreSQL, or SQLite and ships as the fusio/fusio Docker image, an official release download, or a git clone.

The concrete problem it solves is the gap between services that already exist inside an organization and the API that outside consumers need. Instead of exposing internal systems directly and hand-building the surrounding access layer, a team points Fusio at those systems and gets a managed surface in front of them. What it replaces is that piecemeal work: the routing layer, key and quota handling, the portal where third-party developers read documentation and collect credentials, and the client libraries they would otherwise write by hand.

Key capabilities

  • Database API Gateway exposes legacy SQL and NoSQL databases, including MySQL and PostgreSQL, as REST APIs.
  • Microservice Gateway routes, orchestrates, and load-balances traffic between distributed services.
  • Custom API logic is assembled from reusable actions written in PHP or JavaScript.
  • MCP Integration provides native Model Context Protocol support, turning custom API logic into "Tools" that power autonomous agents.
  • API Developer Portal gives third-party developers a self-service surface with documentation, testing tools, and keys.
  • SDK Automation generates client SDKs for all major programming languages.
  • API Monetization adds subscription plans, quotas, and automated billing, while Analytics and Monitoring track usage, performance metrics, and error logging.

Who uses it and how

  • Teams publishing a legacy MySQL or PostgreSQL database as a REST API without rewriting the data layer in front of it.
  • Organizations running distributed microservices that need one gateway for routing, load-balancing, and usage analytics.
  • API product owners selling access through subscription plans and quotas, with billing handled by the platform and keys issued through the portal.
  • AI agent builders registering existing backend actions as MCP tools so agents can call them.
  • Small teams and individual builders who start locally with docker compose up -d, then move to Docker or a classical Nginx/Apache setup in production.

Getting started

Fastest path is Docker: run the fusio/fusio image with the documented docker-compose service, setting FUSIO_PROJECT_KEY, FUSIO_CONNECTION, FUSIO_BACKEND_USER, FUSIO_BACKEND_EMAIL, and FUSIO_BACKEND_PW, then log in at /apps/fusio. Manual installation clones the repository, sets APP_CONNECTION in .env, and runs php bin/fusio migrate, php bin/fusio adduser, and php bin/fusio marketplace:install fusio.

How it compares

The facts provided name no paid products that Fusio replaces, and they name no other comparable tool. On the available evidence, it stands alone in this registry.

When to use it — and when not to

A self-hoster must operate a database (MySQL, PostgreSQL, or SQLite), a web server or Docker runtime, and the Fusio backend itself; the built-in PHP server is explicitly testing-only, and production requires Nginx, Apache, or Docker. Teams that want a fully managed, hosted API platform with no infrastructure of their own should not pick it, since the facts describe self-hosted deployment only. The repository also carries 169 open issues alongside 2,116 stars and 240 forks, which is worth weighing if a congested issue queue matters.

project readme (upstream, from github) — read inline

Fusio

Open Source API Management Platform
Turn your business logic into scalable API products for humans and AI agents.

📖 Documentation • 📺 Video Walkthrough (15m) • 💬 Discord Community


Fusio is a self-hosted, open-source backend platform and API gateway written in PHP that bridges the gap between your internal infrastructure and the outside world. Whether you are exposing legacy databases, orchestrating microservices, or building custom business logic, Fusio handles the heavy lifting. It transforms your services into a professional API product, complete with an automated developer portal, SDK generation, and monetization tools. With native MCP support, Fusio also acts as a bridge to the AI ecosystem, allowing you to turn your backend logic into tools for autonomous agents.

🚀 Features

  • Database API Gateway - Instantly expose legacy SQL/NoSQL databases (MySQL, PostgreSQL, etc.) as REST APIs.
  • Microservice Gateway - Securely route, orchestrate, and load-balance traffic between your distributed services.
  • Custom API Logic - Build powerful backend logic using reusable actions in PHP or Javascript.
  • Agent Development - Use your custom API logic as "Tools" to build and power autonomous AI agents.
  • AI-Assisted Development - Generate custom backend logic and schemas using natural language prompts.
  • MCP Integration - Native support for the Model Context Protocol to expose APIs to AI ecosystems.
  • API Developer Portal - A self-service portal for third-party developers with docs, testing tools, and keys.
  • SDK Automation - Zero-effort generation of client SDKs for all major programming languages.
  • API Monetization - Turn your API into a product with subscription plans, quotas, and automated billing.
  • Analytics & Monitoring - Real-time tracking of API usage, performance metrics, and error logging.

📦 Installation

🐳 Docker

The fastest way to try Fusio locally is with Docker and docker-compose.

services:
  fusio:
    image: fusio/fusio
    restart: always
    environment:
      FUSIO_PROJECT_KEY: "42eec18ffdbffc9fda6110dcc705d6ce"
      FUSIO_CONNECTION: "pdo-mysql://fusio:61ad6c605975@mysql-fusio/fusio"
      FUSIO_BACKEND_USER: "test"
      FUSIO_BACKEND_EMAIL: "demo@fusio-project.org"
      FUSIO_BACKEND_PW: "test1234"
    ports:
      - "8080:80"

  mysql-fusio:
    image: mysql:8.0
    restart: always
    environment:
      MYSQL_RANDOM_ROOT_PASSWORD: "1"
      MYSQL_USER: "fusio"
      MYSQL_PASSWORD: "61ad6c605975"
      MYSQL_DATABASE: "fusio"
    volumes:
      - ./db:/var/lib/mysql

docker compose up -d

After startup

🛠️ Manual Installation

  • Download artifact

    You can either download the official release or clone the repository.

    git clone https://github.com/apioo/fusio.git
    
  • Configure .env

    Configure fitting database credentials at the APP_CONNECTION variable, all other parameters are optional.

    APP_CONNECTION=pdo-mysql://root:password@localhost/fusio
    APP_URL=http://localhost:8080
    

    It is also recommended to provide the APP_URL which contains the domain pointing to the public folder i.e. https://api.my_domain.com or https://my_domain.com/fusio, this is required if you host Fusio inside a sub-folder otherwise Fusio tries to detect the domain via the Host header.

    Supported DBs:

    • MySQL: pdo-mysql://user:pass@host/db
    • PostgreSQL: pdo-pgsql://user:pass@host/db
    • SQLite: pdo-sqlite:///fusio.sqlite
  • Run migrations

    php bin/fusio migrate
    
  • Create administrator user

    php bin/fusio adduser
    

    Choose Administrator as account type.

  • Install backend app

    php bin/fusio marketplace:install fusio
    
  • Start server (dev only)

    php -S 127.0.0.1:8080 -t public
    

    This should be only used for testing, for production you need a classical Nginx/Apache setup or use Docker, take a look at our installation documentation for more details.

🌐 Web-Installer

Instead of manual installation you can also use the web installer script located at /install.php to complete the installation. After installation, it is recommended to delete this "install" script.

🧭 Getting Started

Use our Getting Started guide to build your first action and configure an operation to expose the action as API endpoint.

Action

At the core of Fusio, you describe your business logic in an Action. An Action is a PHP class that receives an incoming request and returns a response.

<?php

namespace App\Action;

use Fusio\Engine;

class MyAction implements Engine\ActionInterface
{
    public function handle(Engine\RequestInterface $request, Engine\ParametersInterface $configuration, Engine\ContextInterface $context): mixed
    {
        return [
            'hello' => 'world'
        ];
    }
}

Once defined, this action can be bound to an Operation so that it executes for a specific HTTP method and path.

Configuration

Fusio allows you to build actions that are configurable directly from the backend. In the example below, we add a message configuration parameter so a user can customize the response without changing the code.

<?php

namespace App\Action;

use Fusio\Engine;

class MyAction extends Engine\ActionAbstract
{
    public function handle(Engine\RequestInterface $request, Engine\ParametersInterface $configuration, Engine\ContextInterface $context): mixed
    {
        return [
            'hello' => $configuration->get('message'),
        ];
    }

    public function configure(Engine\Form\BuilderInterface $builder, Engine\Form\ElementFactoryInterface $elementFactory): void
    {
        $builder->add($elementFactory->newInput('message', 'Message', 'text', 'The message which should be returned'));
    }
}

In the backend, this parameter is now exposed via a generated form:

Action_Configuration

This concept makes actions highly reusable for both developers and non-technical users. We also provide a preset of actions for common tasks. If you build an action you'd like to share, check out our Adapter page. See our custom action documentation for more details.

Worker

Fusio provides Worker actions, which allow you to develop logic directly in the backend without building custom PHP classes.

Worker_PHP_Designer

This also enables you to build actions in other languages like JavaScript or Python, which is ideal if your team is more familiar with those ecosystems. Learn more in the worker documentation.

AI

With the 7.0 release, we introduced a new Agent concept that allows you to generate worker actions using AI.

Agent_Message

This makes developing backend logic accessible to everyone. Simply describe the logic you need:

return a list of popular composers of the 19th century

The Agent then generates the appropriate action logic automatically. Fusio supports multiple providers, including Ollama, ChatGPT, and Gemini, so you are never locked into a specific AI. Explore the AI agent documentation for more.

🧩 Apps

Fusio includes a flexible app system that lets you install various web-based apps to support different API-related use cases. These apps are typically simple JavaScript frontends that interact with Fusio's internal API.

You can browse all available apps in the Fusio Marketplace, and install them using either the CLI:

php bin/fusio marketplace:install fusio

or directly through the backend interface.

🖥️ Backend

Backend

The backend app is the main app to configure and manage your API located at /apps/fusio/.

💡 VSCode

Fusio provides a VSCode extension which can be used to simplify action development.

🔗 Integration

🧰 SDK

To build and integrate applications with Fusio, you can use one of our officially supported SDKs, which simplify interaction with a Fusio instance. Alternatively, you can directly communicate with the REST API for full control and flexibility.

Language GitHub Package Example
C# GitHub NuGet Example
Go GitHub go get Example
Java GitHub Maven Example
Javascript GitHub NPM
PHP GitHub Packagist Example
Python GitHub PyPI Example

🖥️ Frontend

Framework GitHub Package Example
Angular GitHub NPM Example

📡 REST API

Domain Documentation Specification
Backend ReDoc OpenAPI
Consumer ReDoc OpenAPI
System ReDoc OpenAPI

🌍 Ecosystem

Besides our core product, we offer additional services to augment the functionality of Fusio.

  • Marketplace
    The Fusio marketplace is the place to share apps and actions with other Fusio users, it helps to quickly build your API by using existing code from other users. You can register and configure the credentials at your local Fusio installation under System / Config s. marketplace_client_id and marketplace_client_secret then you can use the panel under Development / Marketplace to install apps or actions.
  • SDKgen
    SDK as a service platform which helps you to generate client SDKs for your API in different languages like CSharp, Go, Java and Python which helps your customers to interact with your API. Therefor you need to register at the SDKgen app and provide the credentials under System / Config s. sdkgen_client_id and sdkgen_client_secret. Then you can generate the SDK directly at the backend under Development / SDK.
  • TypeHub
    API and data design platform, basically you can push your API specification to this platform so that users can simply discover your API. It tracks all changes of your API so that you have always a clean history how your API evolves.
  • APIgen
    Service which generates fully working Fusio APIs based on a data model. It also includes a simple Angular frontend app to CRUD your models. It can be seen as low-code generator to quickly generate CRUD APIs but the generated code is clean and can be also used as foundation for your next app.
  • APImon
    Simple API monitoring service which helps to monitor your Fusio installation. It is optimized for Fusio, but it can be also used for different API endpoints. APImon invokes your endpoints in specific intervals and notifies you about changes. It also includes an uptime page for your users for example s. https://api.apimon.app/status/fusio_marketplace

🏷️ Domains

By default, the entire Fusio project can be hosted on a single domain. In this setup:

This setup is quick to get started with and requires no additional configuration. For production environments, we recommend a subdomain-based structure:

  • api.acme.com
    Hosts only the Fusio API. In this setup, you can safely remove the apps/ folder from the public/ directory.
  • developer.acme.com
    Hosts the Developer App, a portal where third-party developers can register, view documentation, and access their credentials.
  • fusio.acme.com (optional)
    Hosts the Backend App, used to manage your Fusio instance. You can also host this on a separate internal domain.

Note: This is just a suggested setup. You're free to choose any domain or subdomain structure that best fits your infrastructure.

📚 Documentation

Please check out our official documentation website where we bundle all documentation resources:

https://docs.fusio-project.org/

🤝 Support & Community

If you have questions, found a bug, or want to share your feedback, we are active across the following channels:

  • GitHub Discussions - Best for "How-to" questions, architectural feedback, and sharing feature ideas.
  • Discord Community - Join our real-time chat to connect with other Fusio developers and the core maintainers.
  • Issue Tracker - Report technical bugs or reproducible errors. Please check the Documentation first.
  • Direct Contact - Reach out via our official website for specific inquiries or high-level feedback.

🤝 Partners

We're grateful to our partners who support the Fusio project and share our vision of advancing open API development.

If your company is interested in becoming a partner and being listed here, consider becoming a sponsor.

JetBrains logo.

Frequently asked questions

Is fusio free to use?

fusio is open source under the Apache-2.0 licence. There is no licence fee and no seat count — you can self-host it or, where the project offers one, pay a vendor for a managed version instead.

What does fusio do?

Self-Hosted API Management for Builders

What is fusio written in?

fusio is primarily written in PHP. Its source is publicly available at https://github.com/apioo/fusio, and it has 2,129 GitHub stars.