The Best No-Code API Connector for IBM DB2 (2025) | DreamFactory

by Kevin Hood • September 24, 2025

 

Description: Do you have a DB2 database that needs a REST API? Now you can connect to your IBM DB2 with DreamFactory in just a few minutes. In this short blog post I’ll explain how you can connect to DB2 with DreamFactory’s auto-generated REST API for DB2.

Step 1 – Get DreamFactory Up and Running

If you haven’t done so already, either sign up for a free hosted DreamFactory trial lab or install DreamFactory on your local computer or on a server. 

Note: Connecting to DB2 from a DreamFactory install on Mac OS X isn’t currently supported.

Step 2 – Select Your Database

To start building your IBM DB2 REST API, you’ll login to the DreamFactory administration interface, choose Connect to Database

From there you’ll select the IBM DB2 service type by finding the DB2 option or by searching for it in the search bar.

 

Step 3 – Configure Your API

Here you will be prompted to provide a name, label, and description. The latter two are used just for reference purposes within the administration interface, however the name value is particularly important because as you’ll soon see it will comprise part of the API URL.

Then, you’ll be prompted to provide the database connection credentials after pressing ‘next.’. This should really be nothing new; you’ll supply a host name, username, password, and database. Additionally, you can optionally specify other configuration characteristics such as driver options, the time zone, and caching preferences.

 

Step 4 – Choose your Security Access

Here you will be prompted to easily choose the type of access you want for this API service by just simply selecting each of the tiles and the type of read, write, or full access.  This can also be adjusted later within the Role Bases Access Control Interface, giving you additional fine grained access controls.  Once complete, simply select Apply Security Configuration.  THATS IT! 

You have now in less than 2 mins created a new REST API against IBM DB2 that has automatically generated the API, API Docs, RBAC, and the API Key that can be interrogated into your applications!

 

Step 5 – Test out Your Newly Secured API

DreamFactory automatically scanned your DB2 database schema and generated full API Documentation end points for easy testing.  You can also test your API authentication key that was automatically generated for you when you set up your API right here in the DreamFactory Interface. 

Simply choose the End Point that you gave the API access to and then chose your API key, and hit Test Auth.  

These features ensure that APIs are easy to understand, use, and integrate, significantly reducing development time and enhancing collaboration across teams. The documentation is continuously updated to reflect any changes in the API, ensuring accuracy and reliability.

The DB2 API supports a bunch of powerful features, including:

• Master Credentials – Master credentials for your remote DB2 database are encrypted in DreamFactory.
• Data Security – The permissions granted by the DB2 credentials you specify are honored by the REST API.
• Query Filters – Pass in filter strings as an API parameter with any number of AND / OR logical operations.
• Related Objects – The API can return an array of objects and related objects in a sub-array with a single API call.
• Stored Procedures and Views – Call DB2 stored procedures and views.
• Paging and Sorting – Use URL parameters to limit and sort records returned to the client.
• Continue or Rollback – The API provides parameters to continue processing an array of objects in spite of errors, or to rollback the entire operation if any error is encountered.
• Schema Support – The API can return information about what tables are available, as well as access rights for each table and field.
• Lookup Keys – The API can inherit the same permissions on the remote DB2 database, based on user roles.
• Record-Level Access – DreamFactory enables fine-grained control of records inside a given table.
• Once you’re familiar with the DB2 API, it’s time to build an application! You can call the API just as you would any REST API or use one of our client SDKs to help accelerate your development and simplify your code.

Best Practices:

Adding a REST API to your IBM DB2 database can be a great way to make your data more accessible and usable. However, follow best practices to ensure that your REST API is secure, performant, and easy to use. Here are some best practices to keep in mind:

• Use SSL encryption: By enabling SSL encryption on your REST API, you can ensure that all communication between the client and the server is secure and encrypted. This helps to protect sensitive data and prevent eavesdropping or man-in-the-middle attacks.
• Use OAuth2 authentication: Implementing OAuth2 authentication can help to secure your REST API by requiring clients to obtain a token before accessing the API. This helps to prevent unauthorized access to your data and ensures that clients are only accessing the data they're authorized to access.
• Optimize performance: To ensure that your REST API is well performing, optimize queries and minimize the amount of data returned to the client. Caching and compression can also help reduce the load on your server and improve response times.
• Implement rate limiting: By implementing rate limiting on your REST API, you can prevent clients from overloading your server and ensure that your API remains responsive. This helps to prevent Denial of Service (DoS) attacks and ensures that your API is available for all clients.
• Use a consistent API design: To ensure that your REST API is easy to use and understand, it's important to use a consistent API design. This includes using standardized HTTP methods and response codes, as well as consistent naming and formatting of API endpoints.

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FAQ

What’s the best no-code API connector for IBM DB2?

DreamFactory is one of the best no-code API connectors for IBM DB2 in 2025, offering instant auto-generated REST APIs, enterprise-grade security, and flexible deployment options.

Why is no-code important for IBM DB2 integrations?

No-code platforms eliminate the need for custom middleware, speeding up delivery, reducing maintenance, and making API publishing accessible to both developers and non-technical teams.

How should I evaluate IBM DB2 API connectors?

Evaluate based on security, performance, publishing ease, cost, and deployment flexibility. DreamFactory scores strongly across all these categories.