About 1Backend
1Backend is a full-stack platform for building distributed applications without setting up infrastructure first. It acts as a framework, proxy and runtime in one: it handles authentication, user accounts, routing for microservices and microfrontends, email and similar plumbing, and it can run and program large language models inside containers. The project is written in Go and aimed at developers who want to ship AI-enabled or conventional apps on their own servers.
Services built on 1Backend register their own user accounts and credentials, announce their instance address to the server, and are then reachable through the 1Backend server under a slug. Endpoints are language-agnostic, and a Go SDK is available. The platform also deploys microfrontends alongside services, describes itself as zero-trust and zero-config, and includes its own ORM so development can proceed even without a database.
1Backend is multitenant, so several apps or sites can run on a single install. The easiest way to start the server is with Docker, and the repository includes examples and documentation for building a first service. It is licensed under AGPL-3.0, which matters if you plan to offer a modified version as a network service.
Key features
- Built-in auth and user account management
- Microservice and microfrontend routing
- Runs and programs LLMs in containers
- Zero-config setup with Docker
- Own ORM that works without a database
- Multitenant hosting of several apps
- Language-agnostic endpoints with a Go SDK
Good fit for
- →Building microservice backends without custom infrastructure
- →Hosting several apps or sites on one install
- →Running private LLM-backed services on-premises
- Built with
- Go
- Tags
- microservices
- paas
- backend
- golang
- self-hosted
- ai-platform
- microfrontends
- docker
1Backend: questions and answers
- What is 1Backend used for?
- 1Backend is a self-hosted Go platform for building apps from microservices and microfrontends, with built-in auth, routing, email and containerized LLM hosting. It is a good fit for building microservice backends without custom infrastructure, hosting several apps or sites on one install and running private LLM-backed services on-premises.
- Is 1Backend open source?
- Yes. 1Backend is open source under the AGPL-3.0 licence. Its source code is on GitHub at 1backend/1backend and is written mainly in Go.
- Is 1Backend free?
- Yes. 1Backend is open source, so the software itself is free to use.
- Can I self-host 1Backend?
- Yes. 1Backend can be self-hosted on your own server or infrastructure.
- What is 1Backend an alternative to?
- 1Backend is an open-source alternative to Firebase. Other open-source alternatives to Firebase include PocketBase, pREST and PocketHost.
- Is 1Backend actively maintained?
- The most recent commit to 1Backend was on 27 May 2026, and the latest release is v0.9.0, published on 12 October 2025. The project has 2.3k stars on GitHub.
Open-source alternatives to 1Backend
See all
PocketBase
Backend as a Service
Open Source realtime backend in 1 file
MITvs Firebase★ 61k
pREST
Backend as a Service
PostgreSQL ➕ REST, low-code, simplify and accelerate development, ⚡ instant, realtime, hig
MITvs Firebase★ 4.6k
PocketHost
Backend as a Service
Open source multitenant PocketBase server
MITvs Firebase★ 1.4k
CloudBoost
Backend as a Service
Realtime JavaScript Backend.
Apache-2.0vs Firebase★ 1.5k
Convex
Backend as a Service
The open-source reactive database for app developers
OSSvs Firebase★ 13k
Nhost
Backend as a Service
The Open Source Firebase Alternative with GraphQL.
MITvs Firebase★ 9.3k
SaaS alternatives to 1Backend
See all
Firebase
Backend as a Service
Firebase is Google's mobile and web app development platform, bundling authentication, databases, hosting, messaging and analytics as a managed backend.
SaaS
Pusher
Backend as a Service
Hosted WebSocket channels and push notifications for realtime features
SaaS
Ably
Backend as a Service
Realtime messaging platform with pub/sub, presence and message history
SaaS
Apple CloudKit
Backend as a Service
Apple iCloud-backed database and storage service for iOS and macOS apps
SaaS
Back4App
Backend as a Service
Hosted backend built on Parse Server with a database, auth and cloud functions
SaaS
Backendless
Backend as a Service
Visual backend platform with a database, user management and API services
SaaS

