Serverpod Admin – The Missing Admin Panel for Serverpod 🎯 #

Finally, an admin panel that Serverpod deserves!

You've built an amazing Serverpod app with powerful endpoints, robust models, and a beautiful frontend. But when it comes to managing your data, you're stuck writing custom endpoints, building one-off admin pages, or worse—directly accessing the database.

That's where Serverpod Admin comes in. This is the missing piece that transforms your Serverpod backend into a fully manageable system.

🏠 Admin Dashboard Overview #

Browse and manage all your data with a beautiful, intuitive interface.

Powerful search and filtering capabilities to find exactly what you need.

Edit records with a clean, user-friendly interface.

View detailed information about any record.

Beautiful empty states when no records are found.

✨ Why Serverpod Admin Matters #

🚀 Zero Configuration, Maximum Power #

No more writing boilerplate CRUD endpoints. Register your models once, and instantly get a complete admin interface with:

• Browse & Search – Navigate through all your data with powerful filtering
• Create & Edit – Intuitive forms for managing records
• Delete – Safe deletion with proper validation
• Pagination – Handle large datasets effortlessly

🎨 Frontend-Agnostic Architecture #

Built with flexibility in mind. The serverpod_admin_server exposes a clean API that any frontend can consume. Start with Flutter today, switch to Jaspr tomorrow, or build your own custom admin UI—the choice is yours!

⚡ Built for Serverpod Developers #

• Type-Safe – Leverages Serverpod's generated protocol classes
• Integrated – Works seamlessly with your existing Serverpod setup
• Extensible – Designed to grow with your needs

🛠️ Developer Experience First #

Stop spending days building admin interfaces. Get back to building features that matter. With Serverpod Admin, you can have a production-ready admin panel in minutes, not weeks.

📦 Installation #

Server Side #

Run:

flutter pub get serverpod_admin_server

Flutter (Frontend) #

Run:

flutter pub get serverpod_admin_dashboard

That's it! You're good to go! 🚀

🧩 Quick Start #

Registering Models (Server Side) #

import 'package:serverpod_admin_server/serverpod_admin_server.dart' as admin;

import 'package:use_serverpod_admin_server/src/generated/protocol.dart';

void registerAdminModule() {
  admin.configureAdminModule((registry) {
    registry.register<Post>();
    registry.register<Person>();
    registry.register<Comment>();
    registry.register<Comment>();
    // Add any model you want to manage!
  });
}

Call registerAdminModule() in your server.dart file just after pod.start()

Using the Admin Dashboard (Flutter) #

Future<void> main() async {
  WidgetsFlutterBinding.ensureInitialized();
  client = Client('http://localhost:8080/')
    ..connectivityMonitor = FlutterConnectivityMonitor();
  runApp(AdminDashboard(client: client));
}

That's it! You now have a fully working admin panel for your Serverpod app! 🚀🎉

🎨 Customization #

Serverpod Admin offers flexible customization options, from simple sidebar tweaks to complete UI replacement.

Sidebar Level Customization #

Customize individual sidebar items with custom labels and icons:

AdminDashboard(
  client: client,
  sidebarItemCustomizations: {
    'posts': SidebarItemCustomization(
      label: 'Posts',
      icon: Icons.post_add,
    ),
    'persons': SidebarItemCustomization(
      label: 'Person',
      icon: Icons.person,
    ),
    'comments': SidebarItemCustomization(
      label: 'Comment',
      icon: Icons.comment,
    ),
    'settings': SidebarItemCustomization(
      label: 'Setting',
      icon: Icons.settings,
    ),
  },
)

This allows you to:

• Customize labels – Change the display name for any resource
• Customize icons – Use your own icons for better visual identification
• Keep it simple – Only customize what you need, leave the rest default

Full Customization #

For complete control over the admin interface, you can replace any component with your own custom widgets:

AdminDashboard(
  client: client,
  // Custom sidebar - completely replace the default sidebar
  customSidebarBuilder: (context, controller) {
    return CustomSidebar(controller: controller);
  },

  // Custom body/records pane - replace the default table view
  customBodyBuilder: (context, controller, operations) {
    return CustomBody(
      controller: controller,
      operations: operations,
    );
  },

  // Custom record details view
  customDetailsBuilder: (context, controller, operations, resource, record) {
    return CustomDetails(
      controller: controller,
      operations: operations,
      resource: resource,
      record: record,
    );
  },

  // Custom edit dialog
  customEditDialogBuilder: (context, controller, operations, resource,
      currentValues, onSubmit) {
    return CustomEditDialog(
      resource: resource,
      currentValues: currentValues,
      onSubmit: onSubmit,
    );
  },

  // Custom delete confirmation dialog
  customDeleteDialogBuilder: (context, controller, operations, resource,
      record, onConfirm) {
    return CustomDeleteDialog(
      resource: resource,
      record: record,
      onConfirm: onConfirm,
    );
  },

  // Custom create dialog
  customCreateDialogBuilder: (context, controller, operations, resource,
      onSubmit) {
    return CustomCreateDialog(
      resource: resource,
      onSubmit: onSubmit,
    );
  },

  // Custom footer (displayed above the default footer)
  customFooterBuilder: (context, controller) {
    return CustomFooter(controller: controller);
  },

  // Custom themes
  lightTheme: myLightTheme,
  darkTheme: myDarkTheme,
  initialThemeMode: ThemeMode.dark,
)

Available Customization Options

Custom Builder Guidelines

When creating custom builders, you have access to:

• AdminDashboardController – Provides access to:

  • resources – List of all registered resources
  • selectedResource – Currently selected resource
  • loading – Loading states
  • themeMode – Current theme mode
  • Methods to load data, refresh, etc.

• HomeOperations – Provides CRUD operations:

  • list() – Get list of records
  • find() – Find a specific record
  • create() – Create a new record
  • update() – Update an existing record
  • delete() – Delete a record

• AdminResource – Information about the resource:

  • key – Resource identifier
  • tableName – Database table name
  • columns – List of column definitions

Example: Custom Sidebar

Widget CustomSidebar(AdminDashboardController controller) {
  return Drawer(
    child: ListView(
      children: [
        const DrawerHeader(
          decoration: BoxDecoration(color: Colors.blue),
          child: Text('My Admin Panel'),
        ),
        ...controller.resources.map((resource) {
          final customization = controller.sidebarItemCustomizations?[resource.key];
          return ListTile(
            leading: Icon(customization?.icon ?? Icons.table_chart),
            title: Text(customization?.label ?? resource.tableName),
            selected: controller.selectedResource?.key == resource.key,
            onTap: () => controller.selectResource(resource),
          );
        }),
      ],
    ),
  );
}

Example: Custom Edit Dialog

Widget CustomEditDialog({
  required AdminResource resource,
  required Map<String, String> currentValues,
  required Future<bool> Function(Map<String, String> payload) onSubmit,
}) {
  final formKey = GlobalKey<FormState>();
  final controllers = currentValues.map(
    (key, value) => MapEntry(key, TextEditingController(text: value)),
  );

  return AlertDialog(
    title: Text('Edit ${resource.tableName}'),
    content: Form(
      key: formKey,
      child: SingleChildScrollView(
        child: Column(
          children: resource.columns.map((column) {
            return TextFormField(
              controller: controllers[column.name],
              decoration: InputDecoration(labelText: column.name),
              enabled: !column.isId, // Disable editing ID fields
            );
          }).toList(),
        ),
      ),
    ),
    actions: [
      TextButton(
        onPressed: () => Navigator.pop(context),
        child: const Text('Cancel'),
      ),
      TextButton(
        onPressed: () async {
          if (formKey.currentState!.validate()) {
            final payload = controllers.map(
              (key, controller) => MapEntry(key, controller.text),
            );
            final success = await onSubmit(payload);
            if (success && context.mounted) {
              Navigator.pop(context);
            }
          }
        },
        child: const Text('Save'),
      ),
    ],
  );
}

🔮 What's Next? #

This is a proof of concept that's already stable and production-ready. We're actively working on:

• ✅ Export/Import – Data portability built-in
• ✅ Role-Based Access – Secure your admin panel
• ✅ Comprehensive Testing – Ensuring reliability

💡 The Vision #

Serverpod Admin fills the gap that every Serverpod developer has felt. No more custom admin code. No more database dives. Just a beautiful, powerful admin panel that works out of the box.

Welcome to the future of Serverpod administration. 🎉