dokploy vs pocketbase
Two of the top projects in Backends, databases and hosting, side by side: who leads on each score part and who each one suits, then setup, license, activity and what each review found.
dokploy
Self-hosted PaaS for deploying apps and databases across Docker Swarm nodes
pocketbase
Go backend with embedded SQLite, auth, file storage and admin UI
Verdict
dokploy ranks higher, 85 to 76. Of the 5 score parts we measure for both, dokploy leads on 2, pocketbase on 2 and 1 is even.
- Adoptionpocketbase leads by 10 points, 94 to 84.
- FreshnessEven at 100.
- Maintenancepocketbase leads by 11 points, 96 to 85.
- Easy to rundokploy leads by 33 points, 83 to 50: a wide gap.
- Agent-readydokploy leads by 55 points, 55 to 0: a wide gap.
Pick dokploy if you are
Self-hosters who want a Vercel or Heroku-style deploy workflow on their own VPS
- Installs on a VPS with a single curl script
- Native Docker Compose and Docker Swarm multi-node support
Pick pocketbase if you are
Developers who want a self-hosted single-binary backend for web or mobile apps
- Single portable executable; database, auth, files and admin UI are built in
- Extensible with JavaScript (JS VM in prebuilt binaries) or as a Go library
| What we compare | dokploy | pocketbase |
|---|---|---|
| Score parts, out of 100 | ||
| Adoption | 84, widely used | 94, widely used |
| Freshness | 100, active | 100, active |
| Maintenance | 85, healthy | 96, healthy |
| Easy to run | 83, very easy | 50, easy |
| Agent-ready | 55, partly | 0, none |
| Facts from GitHub and the README | ||
| Stars | 37.9k | 61.5k |
| License | custom license (read the license) | MIT (permissive) |
| Last commit | Oct 2026 | Oct 2026 |
| Last release | Sep 2026 | Oct 2026 |
| Language | TypeScript | Go |
| Docker | Yes | No |
| GPU | Not needed | Not needed |
| arm64 or Apple Silicon | Not stated | Mentioned |
dokploy
Dokploy is a self-hostable platform-as-a-service that deploys applications, Docker Compose stacks and databases (MySQL, PostgreSQL, MongoDB, MariaDB, libsql, Redis) to your own servers. It uses Traefik for routing, Docker Swarm for multi-node scaling, and offers one-click open-source templates, database backups to external storage, and a CLI and API. It has no AI-specific features, so it fits as deployment infrastructure for apps built elsewhere.
Who it is for: Self-hosters who want a Vercel or Heroku-style deploy workflow on their own VPS
Strengths
- Installs on a VPS with a single curl script
- Native Docker Compose and Docker Swarm multi-node support
- Built-in database backups, monitoring and deploy notifications
- Exports logs and metrics to Grafana, Datadog, Splunk, CloudWatch and others
Weaknesses
- License is reported as NOASSERTION; terms need checking before commercial use
- README gives no minimum RAM or CPU requirements
- No AI features; general-purpose deployment tool only
- Hosted Dokploy Cloud is offered alongside; feature split with self-hosted not stated
- no GPU
- Docker
- Needs Docker, Docker Swarm, Traefik
pocketbase
PocketBase is a Go backend that ships as one executable with an embedded SQLite database, realtime subscriptions, user and file management, an admin dashboard and a REST-ish API. It runs standalone via `./pocketbase serve`, extended with JavaScript through the bundled JS VM, or imported as a Go library to build a custom single binary. Official SDKs exist for JavaScript and Dart.
Who it is for: Developers who want a self-hosted single-binary backend for web or mobile apps
Strengths
- Single portable executable; database, auth, files and admin UI are built in
- Extensible with JavaScript (JS VM in prebuilt binaries) or as a Go library
- Official JavaScript and Dart SDKs; realtime subscriptions included
- MIT license; static builds with CGO_ENABLED=0 for many OS/arch targets
Weaknesses
- Backward compatibility not guaranteed before v1.0.0
- Embedded SQLite only; no other database backend mentioned in the README
- External pull requests are currently disabled, only collaborators can open them
- Go 1.27+ required to build or use as a framework
- no GPU
More in Backends, databases and hosting
Building with these?
We help teams pick an open-source AI stack and run it in production. Client work never changes a rank.