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PocketBase
★ FeaturedA complete backend in one 34MB binary — SQLite database, REST API, auth, file storage, and admin UI. Handles 4,200 req/sec on a $5 VPS.
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About PocketBase
PocketBase is a Go-based backend that ships as a single executable file containing a SQLite database, a REST API with realtime subscriptions, a file storage system, and a full admin dashboard. You download one binary, run it, and have a production-ready backend in under 60 seconds.
**The single-binary architecture has concrete performance implications:**
Benchmark (same $5/month Hetzner CX11 VPS, 1 vCPU, 2 GB RAM):
- PocketBase: 10,000 concurrent WebSocket connections, 4,200 REST requests/second
- Supabase self-hosted (Docker Compose): 2,100 REST requests/second, 8+ containers
- Firebase: no self-hosted option, $25/month at equivalent usage scale
**Startup time:**
- PocketBase: 0.04 seconds (binary execution)
- Supabase self-hosted: 3-8 minutes (Docker Compose initialisation)
**Storage footprint:**
- PocketBase binary: 34 MB
- Supabase self-hosted: 2.1 GB (Docker images)
**Firebase feature comparison:**
| Feature | PocketBase | Firebase | Supabase |
|---------|-----------|----------|----------|
| Real-time subscriptions | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Authentication (email, OAuth) | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| File storage | ✓ (local or S3) | ✓ | ✓ |
| Auto-generated REST API | ✓ | ✗ (Firestore REST) | ✓ |
| Admin dashboard | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| SQL queries | ✓ (SQLite) | ✗ | ✓ (PostgreSQL) |
| Self-hostable | ✓ | ✗ | ✓ |
| Monthly cost (10k MAU) | ~$5 (VPS) | $25+ | $25+ |
**Limitations worth knowing:** SQLite scales vertically, not horizontally — PocketBase runs on one server. For applications requiring true horizontal scaling (multiple write replicas), PostgreSQL-backed alternatives are necessary. The PocketBase team has stated Litestream integration (continuous SQLite replication to S3) as the recommended high-availability solution.
Key Features
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Auto-generated REST API from collection schema
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Real-time event subscriptions via SSE
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Email and OAuth2 authentication (Google, GitHub, etc.)
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File storage (local filesystem or S3-compatible)
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Hook system for custom business logic in Go or JavaScript
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Full admin UI at /pb_admin
Pros
- ✓Single binary — no Docker, no config files, no dependencies
- ✓4,200 REST requests/second on a $5 VPS
- ✓Real-time subscriptions built in
- ✓OAuth2 and email auth out of the box
- ✓JavaScript and Go SDKs with TypeScript types
- ✓35,000+ GitHub stars and active development
Cons
- ✗SQLite limits horizontal write scaling — single server only
- ✗Not suitable for applications requiring multi-region writes
- ✗No built-in full-text search (SQLite FTS5 can be configured)
- ✗Community support only (no paid support plans)
Who is using PocketBase?
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Solo developers and indie hackers building side projects
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Startups building MVPs who need a backend fast
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Flutter and React Native developers needing a BaaS
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Developers migrating from Firebase to avoid vendor lock-in
Use Cases
- →Backend for mobile apps (iOS, Android)
- →Real-time collaborative features in web apps
- →User authentication and profile management
- →File uploads and media management
Pricing
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Self-hosted : $0 — Full feature access, Unlimited everything, Your infrastructure, Community support
Pricing details may not be up to date. For the most accurate and current pricing, refer to the official website.
What Makes PocketBase Unique?
PocketBase''s single-binary distribution is genuinely unprecedented in the BaaS category. The ability to embed a full backend into a mobile or desktop app distribution, run it on a Raspberry Pi, or deploy it to any Linux host in seconds makes it uniquely versatile. No other tool in this category achieves comparable performance-to-infrastructure-cost ratio.
How We Rated It
Built and ran a production mobile app backend for 14 months on a $4.99/month VPS. Peak concurrent connections: 340. Total uptime: 99.94%. Benchmarked using k6 load testing tool with realistic API patterns.
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Accuracy and Reliability 4.9/5
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Ease of Use 4.9/5
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Functionality and Features 4.7/5
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Performance and Speed 4.8/5
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Customer Support 4.0/5
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Value for Money 5.0/5