Show HN: SelfDB – Ditch Supabase and Firebase Lock-In, Self-Host Simply
by selfdb_io | 2025-06-09 08:13:14+00:00
Hey HN!

We're a small team of developers who, like many of you, love the power and convenience of Backend-as-a-Service (BaaS) platforms. However, we've also felt the sting of vendor lock-in, wrestled with the complexities of self-hosting feature-rich open-source alternatives, and worried about unpredictable costs or the sudden disappearance of free tiers that many indie devs and small projects rely on.

We believe developers deserve more control and simplicity without sacrificing functionality. After countless hours spent navigating these challenges, we decided to build the solution we wished existed.

So, we built SelfDB: a self-hosted, open-source alternative to platforms like Supabase or Firebase. SelfDB provides a PostgreSQL database, secure JWT-based authentication (with anonymous access capabilities), integrated object storage, WebSocket-based real-time updates, and serverless cloud functions powered by Deno 2.0 – all packaged into a single, easy-to-deploy containerized platform.

Our goal is to give you the comprehensive features you expect from a modern BaaS, but with the freedom and control that comes from truly owning your backend stack.

Here’s what SelfDB offers:

Full PostgreSQL Power: Your data, your schema, no compromises. Direct SQL access when you need it.

Robust Authentication: Secure user management with JWT tokens and flexible anonymous access.

Integrated Object Storage: A dedicated SelfDB Storage Service for your files and media.

Real-time Updates: Keep your applications in sync effortlessly using WebSockets.

Modern Cloud Functions: Write custom serverless logic with Deno 2.0, benefiting from its security-first approach and native TypeScript support.

Dead-Simple Deployment: This is where we really focused. Forget wrestling with a dozen different containers for a self-hosted BaaS. With SelfDB, you just need to unzip , configure your .env file, and run ./start.sh. That’s it.

Truly Open & Yours: Your SelfDB purchase includes full access to our source code, empowering you to redeploy the software as often as you need. While resale is not permitted, you have the freedom to modify the code to perfectly fit your requirements. Your purchase also grants you access to our exclusive customer portal. Here, you'll receive continuous, free updates and can connect with the vibrant SelfDB community to network, report bugs, and provide valuable feedback.

Production-Ready: We've architected SelfDB with security, logging, and monitoring considerations from the outset, so you can build with confidence. Under the hood, SelfDB leverages a FastAPI backend, known for its high performance and developer-friendly features , ensuring a responsive API. The cloud functions run in a Deno 2.0 environment, offering a modern and secure way to extend your backend. The entire platform is containerized using Docker and Docker Compose, with persistent data managed through Docker named volumes. You can get up and running locally with just a few commands: Full details, including the architecture diagram, are in zip you get when you buy Selfdb.

To celebrate our launch and thank the early adopters in the HN community, we're offering. This is a great way to try out the extended features while supporting the project. You can find more details and grab the offer at : https://selfdb.io

We're incredibly excited to share SelfDB with you today!

SelfDB is new, and your feedback is invaluable to us. What are your biggest BaaS pain points? What features would you love to see in a self-hosted platform like SelfDB? We'll be here in the comments all day to answer your questions and hear your thoughts.

Thanks for checking out SelfDB!