Nhost
Swedish backend platform pairing PostgreSQL with an instant GraphQL API, authentication, storage and serverless functions, hosted in the EU
Quick Overview
| Company | Nhost AB |
|---|---|
| Category | Databases & Backends |
| Headquarters | Stockholm, Sweden |
| Founded | 2020 |
| EU Presence | Yes - Sweden (EU) |
| Data Location | EU regions available |
| Open Source | Yes (MIT, self-hostable stack) |
| GDPR Compliant | Yes |
| Self-Hosting | Yes - full stack via Docker |
| Main Features | PostgreSQL, instant GraphQL API, authentication with OAuth providers, file storage with image transforms, serverless functions, AI extension |
| Pricing | Free tier / Pro from about $25/month per project |
| Best For | Teams that want the Supabase model with GraphQL and European hosting |
| Replaces | Supabase, Firebase, AWS Amplify |
Detailed Review
Nhost is the closest structural match to Supabase among European providers: a Postgres database with an auto-generated API, authentication, file storage and functions, packaged so a front-end developer can build a complete application without writing a backend.
The main architectural difference is the API layer — Nhost uses Hasura to expose GraphQL rather than Supabase's PostgREST-based REST interface. The company is Swedish, and projects can be pinned to EU regions.
GraphQL as the Default
Hasura generates a GraphQL API directly from your Postgres schema, including relationships, filtering, pagination and subscriptions, with permissions defined per role at the row and column level. For front ends built in React, Vue or Svelte, fetching exactly the shape of data a component needs in one request is a genuine productivity gain over composing REST calls.
Permissions being declared in the API layer rather than in application code also means the rules are in one auditable place — useful when a compliance reviewer asks who can read what.
Self-Hosting the Whole Stack
Every component is open source and Nhost publishes a Docker-based self-hosting path. That is the important escape hatch: if the managed service stops suiting you, the same stack runs on your own European infrastructure without rewriting the application.
Authentication and Storage
Authentication covers email and password, magic links, OAuth providers, multi-factor and security keys, with user data living in your own Postgres rather than in an opaque service. File storage includes on-the-fly image transformation, which removes a common auxiliary service from small projects.
Limitations to Consider
Nhost is a much smaller company than Supabase, with a correspondingly smaller ecosystem, fewer integrations and less community content to search when something goes wrong. Hasura adds a moving part that has to be understood and, for teams that prefer REST, imposes GraphQL as the primary interface. The free tier is modest and projects can sleep on it.
Who Should Use Nhost
Front-end and full-stack teams building applications who want the backend-as-a-service model with GraphQL, EU hosting and a credible self-hosting exit — particularly those for whom a US-based Supabase is a compliance problem rather than a preference.
Pros and Cons
Pros
- Instant GraphQL API with row-level permissions
- Whole stack is open source and self-hostable
- EU region hosting from a Swedish company
- Auth, storage and functions included
- Standard Postgres underneath
Cons
- Much smaller ecosystem than Supabase
- GraphQL and Hasura add a learning curve
- Modest free tier
Alternatives to Nhost
Other European databases & backends worth comparing before you decide:
Aiven
Finland · Managed open-source data platform across European clouds
Scaleway
France · Serverless and managed databases from French data centres
Clever Cloud
France · Managed Postgres, MySQL, MongoDB and Redis in the EU
Exoscale
Switzerland · Managed DBaaS with Swiss and EU-only regions
See all European databases & backends or compare them directly against Supabase on our alternatives page.
Frequently Asked Questions
Structurally, yes — Postgres, auto-generated API, auth, storage and functions. The differences are GraphQL instead of REST as the primary interface, a Swedish rather than US company, and EU region hosting.
Yes. The whole stack is open source with a documented Docker-based self-hosting path, so you can move to your own European infrastructure without rewriting the application.
It is the primary interface, generated automatically from your Postgres schema. You can also connect to the database directly, but the platform is designed around GraphQL.
In the region you select for the project, which can be an EU region. Nhost AB is a Swedish company, so the contracting party is in the EU as well.