appwrite vs prest
Two of the top projects in Backends and databases, side by side: who leads on each score part and who each one suits, then setup, license, activity and what each review found.
appwrite
Self-hostable backend with auth, databases, storage, functions, messaging and hosting
prest
REST and read-only MCP API generated from a PostgreSQL or MySQL database
Verdict
appwrite ranks higher, 94 to 72. Of the 5 score parts we measure for both, appwrite leads on 3, prest on none and 2 are even.
- Adoptionappwrite leads by 71 points, 91 to 20: a wide gap.
- FreshnessEven at 100.
- Maintenanceappwrite leads by 11 points, 91 to 80.
- Easy to runEven at 100.
- Agent-readyappwrite leads by 70 points, 70 to 0: a wide gap.
Pick appwrite if you are
Developers who want a self-hosted or managed backend for web and mobile apps
- One Docker-based installer sets up the full stack, with Compose and env files also published
- SDKs for 6 client and 10 server platforms, plus REST, GraphQL and Realtime APIs
Pick prest if you are
Developers who want an instant REST or MCP API over an existing SQL database
- Generates CRUD REST routes straight from an existing Postgres or MySQL schema
- Custom SQL query scripts support bound parameters via sqlVal, sqlList and ident helpers
| What we compare | appwrite | prest |
|---|---|---|
| Score parts, out of 100 | ||
| Adoption | 91, widely used | 20, niche |
| Freshness | 100, active | 100, active |
| Maintenance | 91, healthy | 80, healthy |
| Easy to run | 100, very easy | 100, very easy |
| Agent-ready | 70, partly | 0, none |
| Facts from GitHub and the README | ||
| Stars | 57.7k | 4.6k |
| License | BSD-3-Clause (permissive) | MIT (permissive) |
| Last commit | Oct 2026 | Oct 2026 |
| Last release | Oct 2026 | Oct 2026 |
| Language | TypeScript | Go |
| Docker | Yes | Yes |
| GPU | Not needed | Not needed |
| arm64 or Apple Silicon | Mentioned | Mentioned |
appwrite
Appwrite is a backend platform that bundles Auth, Databases, Storage, Functions, Sites, Messaging, Realtime and a Firewall behind REST, GraphQL and WebSocket APIs. It runs as a managed cloud or self-hosted via a Docker installer, and offers a hosted MCP server so coding agents can operate on a live project. Client and server SDKs cover Web, Flutter, Apple, Android, React Native, Unity, Node.js, Python, PHP, Go, Rust and others.
Who it is for: Developers who want a self-hosted or managed backend for web and mobile apps
Strengths
- One Docker-based installer sets up the full stack, with Compose and env files also published
- SDKs for 6 client and 10 server platforms, plus REST, GraphQL and Realtime APIs
- Hosted MCP server uses OAuth, so no API keys are needed on Cloud
- Same product runs on managed Cloud or on your own infrastructure
Weaknesses
- Installer needs access to the Docker socket on the host
- Self-hosted instances must use a separate local MCP server, not the hosted one
- Hybrid monolith-plus-workers architecture means many services to operate
- RAM and CPU requirements are not stated in the README
- no GPU
- Docker + Compose
- Needs Docker
- port 20080
prest
pREST is a Go service that exposes tables in an existing PostgreSQL (9.5+) or MySQL (8.0.19+) database as REST endpoints at /{database}/{schema}/{table}, with auth, ACL and custom SQL routes. It also serves a read-only MCP endpoint so AI clients can query the same data. It can serve several databases from a registry or an allow-list.
Who it is for: Developers who want an instant REST or MCP API over an existing SQL database
Strengths
- Generates CRUD REST routes straight from an existing Postgres or MySQL schema
- Custom SQL query scripts support bound parameters via sqlVal, sqlList and ident helpers
- Serves multiple databases via a [[databases]] registry or pg.allowed_databases
- Built-in read-only MCP endpoint, plus auth and ACL configuration
Weaknesses
- Only PostgreSQL and MySQL; MariaDB, TiDB and Aurora MySQL are roadmap items
- Interpolated query-script values are screened and rejected if they contain quotes or SQL keywords
- MySQL support is newer (v2.5.0) and with prepare = false interpolates placeholders
- MCP endpoint is read-only, so AI clients cannot write through it
- no GPU
- Docker + Compose
- Needs PostgreSQL 9.5+ or MySQL 8.0.19+
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