pocketbase
by pocketbase
PocketBase is a backend packaged as a single program, with a built-in SQLite database, user accounts, file storage and an admin dashboard. It gives apps a ready-made server with a simple API and live updates, so you don't have to build one yourself.
- Stars
- 61.6k
- Licence
- MIT
- Runs on
- A small server
- Setup
- Easy
- Language
- Go
- Age
- 1580 days
What you can do with it
- Run a backend with user sign-up, login and file uploads from one downloaded program
- Manage data and users through the built-in admin dashboard
- Connect a web or mobile app using the JavaScript or Dart SDK and receive live data updates
Could replace
- Firebase
- Supabase
Our suggestion based on what it does, not a feature-by-feature comparison.
Make money with it
A freelancer could build and host custom apps for local businesses, such as booking or membership systems, using PocketBase as the backend and charging a monthly hosting and support fee.
An idea, not financial advice. Check the licence before charging for anything built on it.
Ways a business could use it
- Run the backend for a customer portal, booking app or internal tool on a cheap server instead of paying for a hosted backend service
- Build and host small client apps as a freelancer, with users, data and files handled by one program
Can you use it commercially?
Free to use, change and sell, including in paid products. Keep the copyright notice.
Not legal advice. Read the project's licence file before building a product on it.
Getting it running
Download the prebuilt executable from the Releases page, extract it and run `./pocketbase serve`; you can also build it with Go.
Follow the official instructions in the project README.
Things to check
- Still under active development, so full backward compatibility is not guaranteed before v1.0.0
- The README says the repo has moved to a new address, so check you are using the official source
- Pull requests are temporarily limited to existing collaborators
- Uses SQLite, so it may not suit very large or heavily distributed workloads
Who's talking about it
Checked 01 Nov 2026. Summary drafted by AI from the project's README.
