I’m building a backend layer for Google Sheets

A lot of MVPs do not start with PostgreSQL, MongoDB, Firebase, or a carefully designed backend architecture.

They start with a spreadsheet.

That might sound messy, but it makes sense.

Google Sheets is fast.

Everyone knows how to use it.

Non-technical teammates can update data directly.

Clients can manage their own content.

Founders can validate an idea before spending weeks on infrastructure.

For many early products, Google Sheets is not the “best database.”

It is the fastest starting point.

But the problem starts when the product grows even a little.

The common pattern

I kept seeing the same workflow:

Google Sheet → MVP → frontend needs data → build custom API → build admin dashboard → add auth → add permissions → add guardrails

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At the beginning, the spreadsheet is enough.

But then the product needs:

a REST API

a dashboard

API keys

access control

validation

usage limits

relations between…