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 copy —
pb_datadirectory; 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_datadirectory
Get this app — pick a BluixApps plan
Same catalog. Scaling tenant isolation, white-label and support tier.
| Tier | Tenants | Catalog | Support | White-label | Monthly | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stacks | 1 | 19 curated stacks | Standard | — | $19/mo | DetailDeploy |
| Starter | 10 | Full catalog | Standard | +$15–25/mo | $49/mo | DetailDeploy |
| Pro | 25 | Full catalog | Priority bugfix | +$15–25/mo | $149/mo | DetailDeploy |
| Growth | 100 | Full catalog | Priority bugfix | +$15–25/mo | $349/mo | DetailDeploy |
| Scale | 500 | Full catalog | 7-day window | +$15–25/mo | $799/mo | DetailDeploy |
| Enterprise | Unlimited | Full catalog | Priority 7-day | Bundled | $1,499/mo | DetailDeploy |
