What is Appwrite used for?

Appwrite is an open-source backend platform offering auth, databases, storage, functions, messaging, realtime and hosting, available as a managed cloud or self-hosted with Docker. It is a good fit for backend for mobile and web apps without custom servers, moving off Firebase to an open-source backend, and giving coding agents a live backend to operate.

Is Appwrite open source?

Yes. Appwrite is open source under the BSD-3-Clause licence. Its source code is on GitHub at appwrite/appwrite and is written mainly in PHP.

Yes. Appwrite is open source, so the software itself is free to use. A managed cloud version is also available, with paid plans from $10 per month.

Can I self-host Appwrite?

Yes. Appwrite can be self-hosted on your own server or infrastructure.

What is Appwrite an alternative to?

Appwrite is an open-source alternative to Firebase, Backendless, Back4App and Xano. Other open-source alternatives to Firebase include Supabase, PocketBase and Nhost.

Is Appwrite actively maintained?

Yes. The most recent commit to Appwrite was on 2 October 2026, and the latest release is 2.3.0, published on 23 September 2026. The project has 58k stars on GitHub.

Appwrite: open-source alternative to Firebase, Backendless

About Appwrite

Appwrite is an open-source platform for building and scaling web, mobile and AI apps. It bundles the backend services most apps need, namely auth, databases, storage, functions, messaging, realtime and hosting, and presents them as an agent-friendly cloud with MCP support. It can run as a managed cloud platform or be self-hosted on infrastructure you control.

Auth supports email, SMS, OAuth, anonymous sessions and magic URLs. Databases can be modeled and queried through Appwrite itself or backed by managed PostgreSQL and MySQL. Storage keeps files with compression, encryption, image transformations and permission controls, and Functions run serverless code in isolated runtimes triggered by events. Sites deploys static, SSR and CSR frontends from Git with previews, and Messaging sends email, SMS and push notifications.

Developers integrate through client and server SDKs, including Flutter, Swift, React Native and JavaScript, or let coding agents such as Cursor, Claude Code and Codex operate a live project through a hosted MCP server. Appwrite is BSD-3-Clause licensed and written mainly in PHP, with Docker-based self-hosting for Unix and Windows.

Key features

Auth with email, SMS, OAuth and magic URLs
Databases including managed PostgreSQL and MySQL
File storage with encryption and image transformations
Serverless functions in isolated runtimes
Messaging via email, SMS and push
Realtime updates and static or SSR site hosting
Hosted MCP server and client and server SDKs

Good fit for

→Backend for mobile and web apps without custom servers
→Moving off Firebase to an open-source backend
→Giving coding agents a live backend to operate

Built with: PHP; Docker; JavaScript; Flutter; Swift; Next.js; React; React Native
Tags: backend-as-a-service; auth; database; serverless; storage; self-hosted; mcp; firebase-alternative; realtime

Appwrite: questions and answers

What is Appwrite used for?: Appwrite is an open-source backend platform offering auth, databases, storage, functions, messaging, realtime and hosting, available as a managed cloud or self-hosted with Docker. It is a good fit for backend for mobile and web apps without custom servers, moving off Firebase to an open-source backend, and giving coding agents a live backend to operate.
Is Appwrite open source?: Yes. Appwrite is open source under the BSD-3-Clause licence. Its source code is on GitHub at appwrite/appwrite and is written mainly in PHP.
Is Appwrite free?: Yes. Appwrite is open source, so the software itself is free to use. A managed cloud version is also available, with paid plans from $10 per month.
Can I self-host Appwrite?: Yes. Appwrite can be self-hosted on your own server or infrastructure.
What is Appwrite an alternative to?: Appwrite is an open-source alternative to Firebase, Backendless, Back4App and Xano. Other open-source alternatives to Firebase include Supabase, PocketBase and Nhost.
Is Appwrite actively maintained?: Yes. The most recent commit to Appwrite was on 2 October 2026, and the latest release is 2.3.0, published on 23 September 2026. The project has 58k stars on GitHub.