PocketBase Has a Free Backend — Auth, Database, and Storage in One File

The Fastest Way to Build a Backend

Supabase needs a cloud account. Firebase locks you into Google. Appwrite needs Docker. Setting up auth, a database, and file storage takes hours.

PocketBase does it in one binary.

PocketBase: Your Entire Backend in 15MB

PocketBase is a single binary that gives you:

• SQLite database with REST API
• User authentication (email, OAuth)
• File storage
• Real-time subscriptions
• Admin dashboard

All in a 15MB file. No dependencies. No Docker. No cloud account.

Start in 10 Seconds

# Download (macOS)
wget https://github.com/pocketbase/pocketbase/releases/latest/download/pocketbase_0.23_darwin_amd64.zip
unzip pocketbase_*.zip
./pocketbase serve

Open http://localhost:8090/_/ → create an admin account → start building.

Create a Collection (Table)

In the admin UI, create a "posts" collection with fields:

• title (text)
• content (rich text)
• author (relation → users)
• published (boolean)

PocketBase auto-generates REST and real-time APIs.

Use It From JavaScript

import PocketBase from 'pocketbase'

const pb = new PocketBase('http://localhost:8090')

// Auth
await pb.collection('users').authWithPassword('[e-mail]', 'password')

// Create
const post = await pb.collection('posts').create({
  title: 'My First Post',
  content: 'Hello World',
  author: pb.authStore.model.id
})

// List with filters
const posts = await pb.collection('posts').getList(1, 20, {
  filter: 'published = true',
  sort: '-created'
})

// Real-time
pb.collection('posts').subscribe('*', (e) => {
  console.log(e.action, e.record)
})

File Uploads

const formData = new FormData()
formData.append('avatar', fileInput.files[0])

await pb.collection('users').update(userId, formData)

Files stored on disk. Served via built-in file handler. Thumbnails generated automatically.

OAuth in 2 Clicks

Enable Google, GitHub, Discord, or Apple OAuth from the admin panel. No code changes needed.

PocketBase vs Alternatives

Feature	PocketBase	Supabase	Firebase
Price	Free (self-host)	Free tier	Free tier
Setup	1 binary	Cloud signup	Cloud signup
Database	SQLite	PostgreSQL	NoSQL
Auth	Built-in	Built-in	Built-in
Storage	Built-in	Built-in	Built-in
Real-time	Built-in	Built-in	Built-in
Vendor lock-in	None	Low	High
Scaling	Vertical	Horizontal	Auto

When to Use PocketBase

• MVPs and prototypes (fastest backend setup)
• Side projects (free, simple, reliable)
• Mobile app backends (REST API + auth + storage)
• Internal tools (admin panel included)

When to Use Supabase/Firebase

• Large scale (millions of users)
• Team collaboration (cloud dashboard)
• PostgreSQL features (complex queries, extensions)

Get Started

Download from pocketbase.io, run the binary, build your app.

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