PocketBase
A complete backend - SQLite database, authentication, file storage and realtime subscriptions - shipped as one executable file you can run anywhere
Quick Overview
| Company | Gani Georgiev (independent) |
|---|---|
| Category | Databases & Backends |
| Headquarters | Sofia, Bulgaria |
| Founded | 2022 |
| EU Presence | Yes - Bulgaria (EU) |
| Data Location | Wherever you run the binary |
| Open Source | Yes (MIT) |
| GDPR Compliant | Yes - you remain sole controller |
| Self-Hosting | Yes - the only deployment model |
| Main Features | Embedded SQLite, user authentication with OAuth2, file storage, realtime subscriptions, admin dashboard, REST API, extensible in Go or JavaScript |
| Pricing | Free and open source |
| Best For | Small to medium applications, internal tools and prototypes that need a real backend |
| Replaces | Supabase, Firebase, Appwrite |
Detailed Review
PocketBase is a reaction against the weight of modern backend platforms. It is one executable — no Docker Compose file, no managed services, no cluster. Run it and you have a database, authentication with OAuth2 providers, file storage with image thumbnails, realtime subscriptions and an admin dashboard.
It is developed by Gani Georgiev, working independently from Bulgaria, and released under an MIT licence. Because you run the binary, your data sits wherever you put it — on a Hetzner box in Falkenstein if you like.
What "One File" Actually Buys You
The practical consequence is that European self-hosting stops being a project. Copy a binary to a small VPS, put a reverse proxy in front of it, and you have a backend under your own jurisdiction with no third-party processor to assess at all. Backups are a file copy, because the database is SQLite.
For a large class of applications — internal tools, small SaaS products, mobile app backends, prototypes — that simplicity is worth more than horizontal scalability that will never be needed.
Extending It
PocketBase can be used as a Go framework, embedding it in your own application and adding custom routes and business logic, or extended with JavaScript hooks for lighter customisation. That escape hatch is what keeps it from becoming a dead end when requirements grow beyond CRUD.
Compared to Supabase
Supabase gives you Postgres, horizontal scale and a large managed platform. PocketBase gives you a single process with SQLite. For a project serving thousands rather than millions of users, PocketBase removes an enormous amount of operational surface and cost — and unlike Supabase, there is no US company involved at any point.
Limitations to Consider
SQLite means a single writer and vertical scaling only, so genuinely high-write or globally distributed workloads need something else. It is essentially a one-developer project, which is a real bus-factor consideration for production use, though the MIT licence and small codebase mitigate it. There is no official managed hosting, so operations are entirely yours.
Who Should Use PocketBase
Developers building small to medium applications, internal tools or mobile backends who want a real backend without a platform. It is the most direct route to a fully self-hosted, EU-resident backend that one person can operate.
Pros and Cons
Pros
- Single binary, trivial to self-host anywhere
- Auth, storage, realtime and admin UI included
- MIT licence, no vendor at all
- Backups are a file copy
- Extensible as a Go framework
Cons
- SQLite: single writer, vertical scaling only
- Effectively a solo-maintainer project
- No official managed hosting
Alternatives to PocketBase
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
For read-heavy applications with moderate write volume, yes — SQLite is extremely reliable and fast. The constraint is a single writer and no horizontal scaling, so very high write throughput or multi-region deployment needs a different database.
Copy the binary to any European VPS — Hetzner, Scaleway, OVHcloud — put a reverse proxy in front and run it. There is no managed service and no third-party processor involved.
Yes. PocketBase can be used as a Go framework with your own routes and business logic, or extended with JavaScript hooks for lighter customisation.
Supabase offers Postgres and a large managed platform; PocketBase is a single process with SQLite. PocketBase wins decisively on simplicity and self-hosting, Supabase wins on scale and ecosystem.