Database & Backend APIs
The backend that shouldn't fall over the day you get traction. REST or GraphQL APIs and database architecture designed to scale from 10 users to 10,000 without a rebuild.
By Eliran YihyeUpdated
From $2K, fixed price
1–2 weeks
What it costs
| Price | From $2K, fixed price |
|---|---|
| Timeline | 1–2 weeks |
| Typical budget | Around $5K: A database or backend project. One core workflow, done right, in 1–6 weeks. |
| South Florida firms (Clutch) | 13 of 17 software and web firms list a minimum project above $2K. Median minimum $10,000+, median hourly band $100-$149/hr. As of September 26, 2026. |
| Billing | One number in a written proposal before any code exists. No hourly billing. |
| Handover | Code, repositories and accounts transfer to you. |
Market figures quoted on this page: Clutch: web developer pricing, South Florida software firm rates on Clutch, 2026 census.
How much does a custom backend API cost?
A scoped backend or database piece at Cuanto Labs starts at $2K, fixed, in 1–2 weeks. Our budget guide places a typical database or backend project at around $5K, built around one core workflow. Larger platforms cost more and are quoted the same way: fixed, in writing, up front.
What does the backend and database service cover?
REST or GraphQL APIs, PostgreSQL and Redis schema design, auth and permissions, and deployment with monitoring. The goal is a backend that goes from 10 users to 10,000 without a rebuild. If you already have a frontend, we can build only the backend and connect to it.
Which databases do you work with?
PostgreSQL and Redis for backend and database work, and PostgreSQL or MongoDB inside our web app builds. Several products in our portfolio run on Neon Postgres with Drizzle or Prisma, including row-level security on LLCDrop and role-based permissions on Subbed Pro. Both are linked below as case studies.
How do you handle logins and permissions?
Auth and permissions are part of the backend service. Subbed Pro, a deal-management platform we built, has three roles, owner, admin and broker, with permissions granular enough to control exports, funder sends and deal actions independently, and zero cross-broker visibility by default.
How does a fixed-price backend compare with an hourly developer?
Clutch lists United States developer rates at $100 to $149 per hour, so $2K buys roughly 13 to 20 hours at those rates. A fixed price from $2K covers a scoped 1–2 week backend piece, agreed in writing before work starts, with no hourly billing and no change order for scoped work.
How does Cuanto Labs' backend and API price compare with South Florida firms?
Cuanto Labs starts at $2K, fixed. 13 of 17 South Florida software and web firms on Clutch that publish a minimum project list one above $2K, and the median minimum is $10,000+. Their median hourly band is $100-$149/hr. Clutch minimums cover any project type. Data as of September 26, 2026.
What is included
- REST / GraphQL APIs
- PostgreSQL / Redis
- Auth & permissions
- Deployment & monitoring
How it runs
- 1. Discovery call. Thirty minutes on the problem, the timeline and the budget.
- 2. Fixed-price proposal. Scope and a number in writing before any code exists.
- 3. Build in the open. A working version in week two, reviewed weekly.
- 4. Launch and hand over. Code, repositories and accounts transfer to you.
- 5. Support if you want it. Optional, and never a condition of handover.
Related projects
Live products from our portfolio that draw on this kind of work. Each card opens its case study.
Industries we build this for
More questions
We have a frontend already. Can you just build the backend?
Yes. API and database work is a service on its own — REST or GraphQL, with auth, permissions, deployment and monitoring.
Can you fix a database that has become slow?
Schema design and query work are the core of this service. We start by finding what is actually slow rather than rewriting on instinct.
Is $2K really the floor?
Yes, for a scoped backend or database piece in the 1–2 week range. Larger platforms cost more and are quoted the same way: fixed, in writing, up front.
What happens if traffic grows?
The architecture is designed to go from 10 users to 10,000 without a rebuild — that is the point of scoping it properly at the start.
Pick a time to talk it through
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Other services
Working locally? See how we run projects in Miami and Fort Lauderdale, or across South Florida.