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Alex Spinov
Alex Spinov

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PocketBase Has a Free Backend in a Single File — Auth, Database, File Storage, and Realtime in 15MB

#webdev #database #opensource #backend

The Backend Problem

A typical backend requires: PostgreSQL, Redis, Auth service, File storage (S3), WebSocket server. That's 5 services before you write a line of business logic.

PocketBase is one 15MB binary. SQLite database, auth, file storage, realtime subscriptions — all built in.

What PocketBase Gives You

REST API From Schema

Create a collection in the admin UI, get a full CRUD API:

import PocketBase from 'pocketbase';

const pb = new PocketBase('http://127.0.0.1:8090');

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

// List with filters
const posts = await pb.collection('posts').getList(1, 20, {
  filter: 'created >= "2024-01-01"',
  sort: '-created',
  expand: 'author',
});
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Built-In Auth 

// Email/password
await pb.collection('users').authWithPassword('user@example.com', 'password');

// OAuth2 (Google, GitHub, Discord, etc.)
await pb.collection('users').authWithOAuth2({ provider: 'google' });

// Check auth state
if (pb.authStore.isValid) {
  console.log(pb.authStore.model.name);
}
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Realtime Subscriptions 

pb.collection('messages').subscribe('*', (e) => {
  console.log(e.action); // 'create', 'update', 'delete'
  console.log(e.record); // the full record
});
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Live updates via SSE. No WebSocket setup needed.

File Storage 

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

const record = await pb.collection('users').update(userId, formData);
const avatarUrl = pb.files.getUrl(record, record.avatar);
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Files stored locally or on S3. Thumbnails generated automatically.

API Rules (Authorization)

Set per-collection in the admin UI:

List rule: @request.auth.id != ""
View rule: @request.auth.id != ""
Create rule: @request.auth.id != ""
Update rule: @request.auth.id = author
Delete rule: @request.auth.id = author
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Deploy 

# Download single binary
wget https://github.com/pocketbase/pocketbase/releases/latest/...

# Run
./pocketbase serve
# That's it. Admin UI at localhost:8090/_/
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Deploy anywhere: VPS, Railway, Fly.io, even a Raspberry Pi.

Why This Matters

Not every project needs a microservices architecture. PocketBase proves that a single binary can replace 5 services — and it's fast enough for production.

Need data for your PocketBase apps? Check out my web scraping actors on Apify Store — import structured data into your collections. For custom solutions, email spinov001@gmail.com.

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