Is PocketBase the Best Choice for Side-Hustle Backends?

TL;DR

PocketBase is a self-hostable backend platform that outperforms Firebase and Supabase for side projects. It uses embedded SQLite, allowing for vertical scaling while efficiently handling tens of thousands of concurrent connections on a low-cost VM. With its single executable deployment and support for Go, PocketBase provides a powerful yet lightweight alternative for developers.

Transcript

it is september 13 2022 and you're watching the code report last friday i made a video about firebase alternatives and you guys were quick to let me know that i left out a very important project called pocketbase well i tried it out and it kind of blew my mind as soon as i landed on the home page and saw this cool proximity hover effect where the e... Read More

Key Insights

• 🤗 Pocketbase is an open-source back-end platform offering features like embedded SQLite and Go language support.
• 👻 It allows for vertical scaling and can handle thousands of concurrent connections efficiently on a low-cost VM.
• 🤳 Unlike Supabase, Pocketbase is entirely self-hostable and results in a single executable for deployment.

Questions & Answers

Q: How does Pocketbase differ from Firebase and Supabase?

Pocketbase distinguishes itself with embedded SQLite, Go language support, and being entirely open-source compared to Firebase and Supabase.

Q: Can Pocketbase handle scalability effectively?

Pocketbase can only scale vertically, requiring larger machines, but can handle tens of thousands of real-time connections efficiently on a single low-cost VM.

Q: What sets Pocketbase apart in terms of deployment and self-hosting?

Pocketbase is entirely self-hostable, resulting in a single executable for deployment, contrasting with Supabase's managed service and complexity of self-hosting.

Q: How does Pocketbase's architecture differ from traditional microservices?

Pocketbase encourages building a monolithic architecture by extending the framework directly with Go, leading to faster data fetching compared to microservices.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• Pocketbase is a new open-source back-end platform that offers real-time relational databases, authentication, and file storage.

• Unlike Firebase, Pocketbase is built entirely with open-source software and stands out with features like embedded SQLite and Go language support.

• It allows for vertical scaling, handling tens of thousands of concurrent connections on a single low-cost VM.