Build a Full‑Featured Backend in Minutes with PocketBase

Introduction

PocketBase is a lightweight open‑source backend platform written in Go. It combines an embedded SQLite database, user authentication, file storage, real‑time data sync, and a built‑in admin UI into a single binary that can be up and running in about five minutes.

Core Features

Embedded Database: Uses SQLite stored in a single file, eliminating the need for a separate database server.

Authentication: Supports email/password, OAuth2 providers (Google, Facebook, GitHub, etc.), JWT tokens, and password‑reset flows.

File Storage: Offers local or S3‑compatible cloud storage with access‑control policies.

Real‑time Sync: Implements WebSocket and Server‑Sent Events for live subscriptions to record changes.

Admin UI: Provides a visual dashboard to manage collections, users, files, and API logs, with automatic API documentation.

Auto‑generated API: RESTful endpoints are created automatically from data models.

Frontend SDKs: JavaScript and Dart SDKs enable easy integration with Angular, React, Vue, Flutter, Svelte, and other frameworks.

Quick Start

Download the pre‑compiled binary for your platform from the official website or the GitHub Releases page, unzip it, and run: ./pocketbase serve The service starts, opens an installation page in the browser, and guides you to create the first admin account. By default it runs at http://127.0.0.1:8090.

Embedding PocketBase in a Go Application

If you prefer to use PocketBase as a library, the minimal Go example is straightforward:

package main
import (
    "log"
    "github.com/pocketbase/pocketbase"
)
func main() {
    app := pocketbase.New()
    // Add custom routes or hooks here
    if err := app.Start(); err != nil {
        log.Fatal(err)
    }
}

This code creates a PocketBase instance, allows you to attach custom routes or hooks, and starts the server.

Interface Preview

The admin UI includes sections for user management, API configuration, file storage, and backup/restore, as shown in the screenshots below.

Open‑Source Repository

The project’s source code and releases are hosted on GitHub:

https://github.com/pocketbase/pocketbase