PocketBase

What it is for

PocketBase is a single-binary backend desk: you run one file for a realtime database, auth, files, and an admin UI, and the official product is $0 (open source). Use it when the job is a backend you start at $0, not when you need a $20 chat seat.

What makes it unique: the cover is the official PocketBase Logs admin (settings modal over the request log) from the docs still — not a pricing card. The log table itself is ops of the Admin dashboard. There is no official Cloud SKU on pocketbase.io.

Key features

• Collections — a realtime table you query from the SDK (home Realtime database). One collection. Subscribe / filter / sort are ops of this.
• Authentication — users you sign in (home Authentication). An identity, not a row. Superuser vs record auth sit here.
• File storage — files on a record (home File storage). A blob, not a collection field name.
• Admin / logs — the dashboard you operate (Logs still). Retention, min level, IP logging. The cover modal is ops of this.
• Self-host — one file at $0 (GitHub; home). A control plane. Live demo is not a paid region.

SDKs are install. There is no printed hosted dollar on the homepage we fetched.

Who it's for

Best fit: indie and small-app teams who will self-host at $0 (one binary) while they open a first Admin log, then stay on that bill until they outgrow a single-node backend.

Pricing

Verified 2026-10-23 (Asia/Shanghai) from pocketbase.io. The homepage prints Open Source backend in 1 file. There is no /pricing page.

• Self-host — $0. Open source. Realtime database, authentication, file storage, admin dashboard. You run 127.0.0.1:8090.
• No official Cloud card. Do not invent a PocketBase Cloud dollar.

Confirm your own infra costs; taxes follow your location.

Limitations / costs

• $0 is the license, not HA. You run the file.
• No official hosted SKU. A VPS is your bill.
• A single-node backend, not Appwrite. Auth + files + collections in one process.
• Logs retention is your disk. The cover “Max days retention” is local.

Alternatives

• Appwrite — OSS BaaS when you want auth/functions/storage as separate services.
• Convex — hosted reactive functions when you will not run a PocketBase file.
• Hasura — GraphQL on Postgres when collections are not the job.

Official tutorial

No first-party PocketBase YouTube channel upload was confirmed on 2026-10-23 (search oEmbed authors were Better Stack / review channels — do not embed those). Use the written path.

Written path: pocketbase.io plus the Logs still.

Website

https://pocketbase.io

Repository

https://github.com/pocketbase/pocketbase

Source

Catalog row curated for AI Tools Nav. Cover is the official PocketBase Logs admin still. Dollars checked on pocketbase.io (self-host $0; no official Cloud SKU). No first-party YouTube embed.

Last verified

2026-10-23 (Asia/Shanghai) editorial check.