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PocketBase FAQ
Hraness wrote this summary from a saved copy of the source. Quotations are taken word for word from the source.
gist
The PocketBase FAQ describes a self-hosted, single-file backend on embedded SQLite, built as a volunteer personal project with no company, hosting, paid support, or donations behind it. It argues one vertically scaled server is enough for most small and midsize apps, with custom logic written by using PocketBase as a Go or JavaScript framework instead of cloud functions.
ideas
- A project, not a business. There is no paid team, no fixed roadmap dates, and no maintenance promises, and donations are refused to avoid unspoken expectations.
- Read the docs, not just the AI. The FAQ tells people who plan to rely solely on an AI tool without skimming the documentation not to use PocketBase.
- One server is enough. It scales only vertically, yet serves 10,000+ persistent realtime connections on a $4 Hetzner VPS.
- SQLite only. Embedded SQLite in WAL mode is said to outperform MySQL, MariaDB, and PostgreSQL for most queries, with Litestream suggested for replication.
- Framework instead of functions. Custom code means extending PocketBase in Go or JS, keeping the backend portable; there is no hosting or prebuilt login UI.
quotes
“Please note that PocketBase is neither a startup, nor a business.”
“then please do NOT use PocketBase!”
“Most of the time, you may not need the complexity of managing a fleet of machines and services just to run your backend.”
“PocketBase uses embedded SQLite (in WAL mode) and there are no plans for supporting other databases.”