Serverless & Cloud Databases
4.5/5.0
VerifiedFreeLast technical review:
Markdown for AI (.md)

PocketBase

Open source backend in a single file with realtime database and authentication.

Pricing

$0/mo

Free
Score

4.5/5

Last technical review
2026-10-29
Available plansVisit website (opens in a new tab)

Technical Overview

PocketBase is an open source backend packed into a single executable file featuring a realtime database, user authentication, file storage, and an integrated admin dashboard. Designed for developers building web applications with minimal infrastructure complexity. It is distributed as free self-hosted software without reliance on proprietary cloud services.

Analyst Evaluation: Pros and Limitations

Verified Advantages

  • Extremely simple deployment through a single binary executable.
  • Embedded SQLite database with real-time query support.
  • Built-in web admin dashboard requiring zero extra configuration.

Technical Considerations

  • Horizontal scalability is limited due to reliance on a local SQLite file.
  • Lack of native support for SAML or advanced corporate SSO authentication.

Technical Capabilities & Features

4/7
Included:REST & GraphQL API
Not available:SSO / SAML Authentication
Included:Self-Hosted Option
Included:Full Data Export
Included:Role-Based Access Control (RBAC)
Not available:Custom Domains & SSL
Not available:Immutable Audit Logs
Scorecard
Show detailsHide details

Technical Scorecard: PocketBase

88/100
DX & Tech Documentation
Excellent
92/100
Pricing Fairness
Excellent
100/100
Security & Governance
Favorable
70/100
Data Portability & Sovereignty
Excellent
95/100
Performance & Reliability
Excellent
85/100

Time to Value & Fit by Segment: PocketBase

Estimated Time-to-Value< 1 hour (Immediate)

Near-instantaneous deployment with minimal technical friction.

Learning CurveLow (Intuitive)

Rapid onboarding for developers without prior training required.

Fit Index by Organization Size

Startup & Agile Teams1 to 50 members
90%
Mid-Market & Scaleup50 to 500 members
60%
Corporate Enterprise500+ members
30%
Pricing & TCO
Show detailsHide details

Pricing

$0.00/mo

Model: FREE.

Free Tier Verification:

  • No credit card required
  • Commercial use allowed
  • Unlimited usage with no expiration
  • No mandatory watermarks
Get PocketBase (opens in a new tab)

Billing Risks & Hidden Clauses: PocketBase

Free Tier Limits:

Software de código abierto autohospedable gratuito sin límites artificiales en su uso.

Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) Projection: PocketBase$0.00/mo
Deterministic cost estimation at 12 and 36 months based on team size, including SSO tax premiums and annual prepay discounts.
Show detailsHide details
Licensing Cost (1 to 100+ seats)
$0/forever
Unlimited team members with zero penalties
SSO Tax (SAML Enterprise)
$0no surcharge
No artificial security barriers
3-Year Investment (Software TCO)
$0total
operates under a zero-cost or open-source model. Licensing TCO is identical:
Usage Surcharges & Bill Shock Simulator: PocketBaseWhat usage costs as you scale
Detect overage penalties before they impact engineering budget.
Show detailsHide details

Prototype / MVP (10 GB)

Included base quota in plan: 10 GB.
Low Risk / Predictable Bill
Base Monthly Rate
$0/mo
Fixed subscription or contracted tier
Overage Penalty
$0/month extra
Usage covered within plan quota
Estimated Monthly Invoice
$0/mo
Total monthly cost before taxes
Technical Mitigation Recommendation:

Suitable for development; verify concurrent connection limits.

Base Production (50 GB)

Included base quota in plan: 50 GB.
Low Risk / Predictable Bill
Base Monthly Rate
$0/mo
Fixed subscription or contracted tier
Overage Penalty
$0/month extra
Usage covered within plan quota
Estimated Monthly Invoice
$0/mo
Total monthly cost before taxes
Technical Mitigation Recommendation:

Implement table compression policies and temporal partitioning.

Active Growth (250 GB)

Included base quota in plan: 250 GB.
Low Risk / Predictable Bill
Base Monthly Rate
$0/mo
Fixed subscription or contracted tier
Overage Penalty
$0/month extra
Usage covered within plan quota
Estimated Monthly Invoice
$0/mo
Total monthly cost before taxes
Technical Mitigation Recommendation:

Offload cold backups to standard object storage (S3).

Large Scale (1.000 GB (1 TB))

Included base quota in plan: 1,000 GB.
Low Risk / Predictable Bill
Base Monthly Rate
$0/mo
Fixed subscription or contracted tier
Overage Penalty
$0/month extra
Usage covered within plan quota
Estimated Monthly Invoice
$0/mo
Total monthly cost before taxes
Technical Mitigation Recommendation:

Migrate to dedicated instance or self-hosted cluster to curtail I/O fees.

Security & Data Exit
Show detailsHide details

Compliance & Security Standards: PocketBase

SOC 2 Type IINot reported
ISO 27001Not reported
GDPR / RGPDNot reported
HIPAANot reported
PCI-DSSNot reported
Jurisdiction & Legal Sovereignty
🇺🇸United States [US]Immune to US CLOUD Act (EU Sovereign)DPA On Request
SSO Availability (SAML Enterprise)
No SSO Documented
Data Residency
SELF_HOSTED
AI Privacy Policy
Not evaluated
Data Liberation & Migration Runbook: PocketBaseSQLITE · JSON
Actionable escape runbook and credential export guarantees to mitigate vendor lock-in.
Show detailsHide details
Supported Structured Export Formats
SQLITEJSON
Password Hash Portability
Exportable Hashes (Bcrypt / Argon2): Zero Forced Retention

Allows extracting password hashes in standard formats to migrate without forcing user resets.

CLI Command / Rescue Endpoint
sqlite3 pb_data/data.db ".dump"
Exit Protocol & Migration Notes

Los datos se almacenan en un archivo SQLite estándar, lo que permite exportar o migrar el contenido directamente mediante cualquier cliente SQL compatible.

Deployment & Infrastructure Requirements: PocketBaseOther
Hardware specs and Docker directives to run on local servers, dedicated VPS, or Kubernetes without telemetry leak to the cloud.
Show detailsHide details
Minimum Memory1 GB RAM (Recommended)
Compute CPU1 vCPU
Runtime / LanguageTypeScript / Go / Rust
Code LicenseOther
Docker CLI Directive
docker run -d --name pocketbase -p 8080:8080 pocketbase:latest
Companion Services & Dependencies:
PostgreSQL 15+Redis 7+
Community & Repository
Show detailsHide details

Technical Reputation of PocketBase

79/100 Technical Trust

Frequent Praises in Production

  • Extremely simple deployment through a single binary executable.
  • Embedded SQLite database with real-time query support.
  • Built-in web admin dashboard requiring zero extra configuration.

Reported Production Frictions

  • Horizontal scalability is limited due to reliance on a local SQLite file.
  • Lack of native support for SAML or advanced corporate SSO authentication.
Commercial Treatment & Vendor Lock-in:1-Click Cancellation

Immediate cancellation from account settings without phone calls or forced retention.

Open source repository activity: PocketBase244
Stars, forks and release cadence
Show detailsHide details
Stars244
Forks20
Open Issues0
SPDX LicenseOther
Latest Commit DetectedOct 12, 2021

Frequently Asked Technical Questions (PocketBase)

How do you deploy PocketBase on a production server?

PocketBase is distributed as a single compiled binary file. To deploy it in production, simply transfer the executable to the server and run it as a system service using tools like systemd.

What database engine does it use internally?

It uses SQLite as an embedded database engine, allowing excellent performance for moderate workloads and making backups extremely simple since everything resides in a single file.

Can PocketBase be used with languages other than JavaScript?

Yes, although it provides official SDKs for JavaScript and Dart, any client can interact with PocketBase through its standard RESTful API or via WebSockets for real-time features.

Direct Alternatives

All tools in PocketBase
Embed Verification Badge
Official Badge
Show detailsHide details
TheJudex Verified - PocketBase