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Pocketbase Hosting
Build application backends with a database, authentication, file storage, and realtime APIs.
No setup fees-
One click deploy -
1 GB RAM Memory needed -
15 GB Disk Space Needed -
From 2 € Price
Official links
Pocketbase’s official links and original website
Pocketbase Website
More
Tech
- Docker image
- ghcr.io/muchobien/pocketbase:latest
- Default port
- 8090
How Pocketbase works
Pocketbase stores application records in embedded SQLite and exposes them through a REST-style API, realtime subscriptions, and generated collection endpoints. Administrators define base, view, or authentication collections, set fields and access rules, create users, upload files, and inspect records through the dashboard. Client applications remain separate and must be written to use those APIs safely.
The catalogue creates a generated superuser before the service is exposed. The administrator dashboard is located at /_/; the root application URL is an API surface and can return 404 by design. The superuser can access and change every collection, record, file, rule, and account, so those credentials must be treated as full-control secrets rather than ordinary application-user details.
Key Pocketbase features
Realtime subscriptions notify connected clients about permitted record changes. Built-in authentication collections support application accounts, while files can be attached to records and served through Pocketbase endpoints. Security depends on carefully written collection rules, safe client design, protected superuser credentials, and validation of every public API path.
Pocketbase remains under active development and its official documentation cautions against production-critical use before version 1.0 unless the operator can follow changelogs and handle migration steps. A single embedded database keeps deployment compact, but it does not provide the managed multi-region architecture, independent scaling services, or provider support model of a cloud backend platform.
Pocketbase vs Firebase
Pocketbase and Firebase both provide data storage, authentication, file handling, and client-facing APIs for application development. Pocketbase runs as one self-hosted service with embedded SQLite and an administrator dashboard. Firebase offers provider-operated products such as Realtime Database, Cloud Firestore, Authentication, Cloud Storage, SDKs, security rules, and integrations across Google Cloud.
Firebase may fit teams that want managed scaling, maintained mobile SDKs, multiple cloud services, and provider-operated availability. Pocketbase is appealing for compact projects that value local control and straightforward deployment. Its pre-1.0 status, single-server model, migration responsibilities, and application security design remain the operator’s responsibility.
Who uses Pocketbase
Developers use Pocketbase for prototypes, internal tools, small SaaS experiments, mobile backends, event applications, and proof-of-concept APIs. It can reduce initial backend plumbing when a project needs records, users, files, and realtime updates without assembling several independent services.
Pocketbase is not a completed frontend, payment platform, transactional email service, managed cloud cluster, compliance certification, or substitute for application security review. Critical workloads should consider upstream maturity guidance, recovery testing, concurrency, data growth, and migration requirements before adoption.
Self-hosting Pocketbase: requirements and cost
Pocketbase resource use depends on record count, indexes, queries, realtime connections, authentication traffic, file uploads, API requests, and the client applications using the service. PostgreSQL and MariaDB are Not required; the embedded SQLite database and uploaded files live under /pb_data. Pocketbase itself adds no software subscription charge, but data design and file growth can make a small backend significantly busier over time.
On AvaHost, Pocketbase uses Plan 1 at €2. The hosted Pocketbase package includes one-click deployment, a custom domain with automated HTTPS, automatic application updates, and scheduled backups. The generated superuser is created during deployment and signs in at /_/. Client code, security rules, application email, SMS, identity-provider credentials, managed scaling, multi-region replication, migration work, and production-critical assurance are not included.
F.A.Q
Pocketbase starts at €2 on Plan 1. That plan suits prototypes and smaller applications with moderate API traffic. Record count, indexes, file uploads, realtime subscriptions, authentication requests, client concurrency, and query complexity are the main signals for reviewing capacity, alongside the growth of the embedded SQLite database and stored files.
Use `/_/` on the final application domain and sign in with the generated superuser email and password shown after deployment. The root URL is the API and may return 404 by design. The account has full control over collections, records, files, rules, and users, so store it as a high-privilege secret.
A custom domain can point to the Pocketbase service, and automated HTTPS protects dashboard and API traffic. AvaHost does not create the client application, collection rules, CORS design, authentication flows, or public API policy. Test every endpoint as an unauthenticated user and as each application role before placing sensitive data behind it.
No. AvaHost applies Pocketbase updates automatically and includes scheduled backups of persistent data, but Pocketbase remains a self-hosted single-service backend with embedded SQLite. Its documentation notes pre-1.0 compatibility and migration considerations. Managed scaling, multi-region replication, application email, provider SDK governance, and production-critical assurance are not part of this package.