Pocketbase

App in the BluixApps catalog

What it is

PocketBase is an open-source backend in a single binary — embedded SQLite database, real-time subscriptions, file storage, authentication, admin dashboard. The Go-based binary contains the entire backend; no Docker / Postgres / Redis required. Designed for indie developers who want a Firebase-like backend without managing infrastructure.

For solo founders and small teams who want to ship faster than wiring 5 services together, PocketBase is the minimum viable backend.

What it's for

  • Indie SaaS backend — auth + DB + storage + realtime in one binary
  • Mobile app backend — Firebase-replacement for iOS / Android apps
  • Prototyping — fastest path from idea to working backend
  • Static site backend — comments, contact forms, user accounts for JAMstack
  • Internal tools — quick CRUD + auth without ops overhead

Who it's for

  • Solo developers shipping side projects without infrastructure overhead
  • Indie SaaS founders needing backend before product-market fit
  • Mobile app devs preferring single-binary backend to BaaS cloud bills
  • Hackathon teams prototyping with minimum viable backend
  • Static site builders adding dynamic features to JAMstack sites

Why teams pick PocketBase over alternatives

  • Single binary — no Docker, no Postgres, no Redis, just one executable
  • MIT license — fully open
  • SQLite-backed — battle-tested embedded DB
  • Real-time — WebSocket subscriptions built-in
  • Admin dashboard — visual schema management
  • Tiny resource footprint — runs on $3/mo VPS

Integrations

  • Auth providers — email/password, OAuth (Google, GitHub, Facebook, custom)
  • File storage — local filesystem or S3-compatible
  • Email — SMTP for transactional email
  • JS / Dart / Go SDKs — official client libraries
  • REST + Realtime APIs — both auto-generated from schema
  • Hooks — JavaScript hooks for custom server-side logic
  • Migrations — DB migrations versioned with code

Notable users & community

  • 43k+ GitHub stars (one of the most-starred OSS backends)
  • Active Discord community
  • Used by countless indie SaaS and side projects
  • Backed by single dedicated maintainer (Gani Georgiev)
  • Featured in "how to ship fast" indie guides

Tips & operations

  • Persist pb_data — entire app state lives here; volume mount essential
  • SQLite scaling limits — fine to ~100k req/min; beyond that, evaluate Postgres alternatives
  • File storage to S3 — local files break on container restart if not on volume
  • Hooks discipline — JS hooks run in V8; keep them simple
  • Backup is just a file copypb_data directory; trivial backup strategy
  • TLS at proxy — PocketBase has built-in TLS but Caddy/nginx in front is cleaner

What we ship in BluixApps

  • Docker compose: PocketBase + persistent data volume
  • Pinned ghcr.io/muchobien/pocketbase:latest (release-tagged)
  • HTTPS via Let's Encrypt
  • Admin user via env config
  • Persistent volume at /pb_data
  • File storage local by default; S3 documented for production
  • Backup hook covers pb_data directory
Read this app's deep dive on bluix.app ↗

Get this app — pick a BluixApps plan

Same catalog. Scaling tenant isolation, white-label and support tier.

TierTenantsCatalogSupportWhite-labelMonthly
Stacks119 curated stacksStandard$19/moDetailDeploy
Starter10Full catalogStandard+$15–25/mo$49/moDetailDeploy
Pro25Full catalogPriority bugfix+$15–25/mo$149/moDetailDeploy
Growth100Full catalogPriority bugfix+$15–25/mo$349/moDetailDeploy
Scale500Full catalog7-day window+$15–25/mo$799/moDetailDeploy
EnterpriseUnlimitedFull catalogPriority 7-dayBundled$1,499/moDetailDeploy

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