What's installed on your PocketBase server?
- PocketBase 0.40.6, installed from the official release file after its SHA-256 checksum is verified
- Admin screen at /_/, with the superuser created from the command line so nobody can claim it first
- A systemd service called pocketbase on 127.0.0.1:8090, with an open file limit of 4096
- An unprivileged pocketbase user, with data in /home/pocketbase/pb_data
- HTTPS through Caddy on an sslip.io address based on your IP, so a domain is optional
- Firewall with only ports 22, 80 and 443 open
What size do you need for PocketBase?
PocketBase's documentation has no RAM figure. It runs as one process with embedded SQLite. As a rule of thumb, 1 GB is a good start for a small project, and you should look at 2 to 4 GB for many realtime connections or large file uploads. The smallest size is 1 GB of RAM, 1 CPU and a 10 GB disk. You raise RAM, CPU and disk separately from your panel, and your data and IP address stay the same.
| Use | Size | Price | Choose |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starter | 1 GB RAM · 1 vCore · 25 GB NVMe | $2.58/mo | |
| Medium | 2 GB RAM · 1 vCore · 40 GB NVMe | $4.01/mo | |
| Powerful | 4 GB RAM · 2 vCore · 60 GB NVMe | $6.89/mo |
Who is it for?
- Mobile or single-page web apps that need a ready-made backend
- People who built a front end with AI tools and still need a database and login
- Developers building prototypes, internal tools or projects that will stay on one server
What happens after you order?
- Set the size and complete your payment.
- Your server starts and PocketBase installs itself. This took about 3 minutes in our real-server tests.
- Open the Panel address from the Overview tab and sign in with the Email and Password rows.
- Create your first collection with New collection, then choose who can read and write on the API rules tab.
- Connect your app to the /api/ path of the same address.
With every server
- Daily backups included in the price
- Unlimited traffic
- Full root access
- Scale RAM and CPU up or down later, and grow the disk
- Location: Istanbul · IST-1.
Good to know
- PocketBase hasn't reached v1.0. Its docs say backward compatibility may break and that it isn't recommended yet for production-critical apps. Read the changelog before you update.
- API rules are locked by default, so only a superuser has access. If you unlock a rule and leave it empty, anyone has access, so check your rules before going live.
- The admin email from the install is tied to your sslip.io address and can't receive mail. Enter your own address on the admin screen.
- To send email, enter your SMTP details under Settings > Mail settings. The official docs consider the default sendmail route suitable only for development.
- PocketBase sits behind Caddy. To log real visitor IPs, enter X-Forwarded-For in the User IP proxy headers field under Settings.
- The install stays on 0.40.6 and doesn't upgrade itself. Put the new file in place of /home/pocketbase/pocketbase and run systemctl restart pocketbase.
PocketBase questions and answers
How much RAM does PocketBase need?
PocketBase has no official RAM figure. As a rule of thumb, 1 GB is a good start for a small project, and you should look at 2 to 4 GB for many realtime connections or large file uploads.
How do I sign in to the PocketBase admin screen?
Open the link in the Panel address row, which ends in /_/. Enter the details from the Email row and the Password row right below it. The other Password row, under Username, is for SSH and won't work here.
How do I connect my app to the PocketBase API?
The API uses the same address as the panel, without the /_/ at the end, and runs under /api/. With the official JavaScript SDK, write new PocketBase('https://ADDRESS'). Visitors can't read data until you open up the collection's rules.
Can I host my front end on the same server?
Yes. Create the /home/pocketbase/pb_public folder and put your built files in it, and PocketBase serves them from the root address. For server-side JavaScript, use the pb_hooks folder with file names ending in .pb.js. Then run systemctl restart pocketbase.
Can PocketBase spread across several servers?
No. Its official FAQ says PocketBase scales only on a single server, vertically, and uses embedded SQLite with no plans for other databases. When the load grows, you raise RAM, CPU and disk from your panel.
Where is my PocketBase data and how is it backed up?
Data and uploaded files live in /home/pocketbase/pb_data. Your server is backed up every night, the last 7 days are kept, and this is included in the price. You can also take your own backups under Settings > Backups on the admin screen.