Nhost
Postgres plus GraphQL, auth, storage, functions, and realtime; closer to Firebase than most Firebase alternatives.
Technical Profile & Specs
verified 2026-08-10
- Cost
- $0 / forever (Open Source)
- License
- MIT
- Hosting Model
- Local or hosted (your machine or their cloud)
- Platforms
- webself-hostedcliself-host, real ops
- Installation
- Hosted Nhost project, or Nhost CLI/Docker for local and self-hosted deployments
- Operational Setup
- Self-hosting means operating PostgreSQL, Hasura, authentication, storage, functions, networking, secrets, email, and upgrades rather than one small binary.
- Where Your Data Lives
- Application and auth records live in PostgreSQL, GraphQL metadata and migrations can live beside the project in version-controlled files, uploaded objects use S3-compatible storage, and serverless-function source remains in the project directory. Nhost Cloud runs those services in Nhost's infrastructure.
- The Catch / Trade-off
- Nhost's PostgreSQL-and-GraphQL model is conventional and powerful, but it does not reproduce Convex's reactive functions, automatic cache invalidation, or unified TypeScript data model.
Replaces 3 paid apps
Nhost FAQ
Common questions
Is Nhost free and open source?+
Nhost is an open-source tool licensed under MIT that runs on local or hosted. Postgres plus GraphQL, auth, storage, functions, and realtime; closer to Firebase than most Firebase alternatives.
What paid software does Nhost replace?+
Nhost serves as a free replacement for 3 paid SaaS applications: Convex, Firebase Blaze, Supabase Pro.
How do you install and set up Nhost?+
Installation: Hosted Nhost project, or Nhost CLI/Docker for local and self-hosted deployments. Setup notes: Self-hosting means operating PostgreSQL, Hasura, authentication, storage, functions, networking, secrets, email, and upgrades rather than one small binary.
What is the catch or trade-off with Nhost?+
Nhost's PostgreSQL-and-GraphQL model is conventional and powerful, but it does not reproduce Convex's reactive functions, automatic cache invalidation, or unified TypeScript data model.