Claude Code: How to Connect Your AI-Built Frontend to a Real Backend

If you've built a frontend with Claude Code, you know the wall: it looks great but runs on hardcoded data — no database, no auth, no real API calls. Here are the four integration options, ordered from most granular to highest abstraction:

1. Raw HTTP APIs

The most granular option. Think of it like buying individual pages from a bookstore — one request, one response. Maximum control, maximum setup work. Every integration starts here under the hood. You craft specific HTTP calls to your backend endpoints.

2. SDKs (Software Development Kits)

Pre-packaged wrappers around APIs. Instead of assembling raw HTTP calls, someone gives you a library with clean functions like supabase.auth.signUp(). Way less boilerplate, way fewer mistakes. Common examples: Supabase, Stripe, Firebase — all ship SDKs that Claude Code can use directly.

3. CLIs

Best for deployment and infrastructure tasks. These aren't for runtime app calls — you use them to push code live, create database tables, and set up environments. Claude Code can run CLIs for you during development/deplyment.

4. MCP (Model Context Protocol)

The newest option. It lets Claude Code connect directly to external services as tools. Instead of writing integration code, Claude just calls the service natively. Ideal for rapid prototyping where you want to skip manual integration code entirely.

For a step-by-step tutorial, check the Reddit source link below.