What is Convex used for?

Convex is the open-source reactive database and backend for web app developers, with server functions written in TypeScript and live-updating queries, offered in the cloud or self-hosted. It is a good fit for building real-time web apps in TypeScript, small projects on a free cloud tier and self-hosting a backend on your own infrastructure.

Is Convex open source?

Yes. Convex is open source under a custom licence. Its source code is on GitHub at get-convex/convex-backend and is written mainly in TypeScript.

Yes. Convex is open source, so the software itself is free to use under the terms of its own licence. A managed cloud version is also available.

Can I self-host Convex?

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

What is Convex an alternative to?

Convex is an open-source alternative to Firebase, Apple CloudKit and Zoho Catalyst. Other open-source alternatives to Firebase include PocketBase, Supabase and Appwrite.

Is Convex actively maintained?

Yes. The most recent commit to Convex was on 2 October 2026. The project has 13k stars on GitHub.

Convex: open-source alternative to Firebase, Apple CloudKit

About Convex

Convex is an open-source reactive database and backend platform for web app developers. It provides a database, a place to write server functions in TypeScript, and client libraries, and it is designed to make building and scaling live-updating applications straightforward, whether the author is a person or an LLM.

Data is fetched and business logic is run with strong consistency by writing pure TypeScript. Applications built on it update automatically when the underlying data changes, which removes much of the work of wiring up real-time sync. The Convex team leads development of the backend, and the repository, written in Rust and TypeScript, is kept in sync with internal work within days.

The simplest path is Convex's cloud platform, which includes a free tier for small applications and side projects. A self-hosted product with most cloud features, including the dashboard and CLI, can be run with Docker, which is recommended, or a prebuilt binary, and works with databases and hosts such as Postgres, SQLite, Neon and Fly.io. The repository lists the licence as Other, and the extensive internal tests are not included.

Key features

Reactive database with live-updating queries
Server functions written in TypeScript
Strong consistency for reads and logic
Client libraries for web apps
Dashboard and CLI included
Self-hosting with Docker or a binary

Good fit for

→Building real-time web apps in TypeScript
→Small projects on a free cloud tier
→Self-hosting a backend on your own infrastructure

Built with: TypeScript; Rust
Tags: database; backend; reactive; typescript; realtime; self-hosted; rust; baas

Convex: questions and answers

What is Convex used for?: Convex is the open-source reactive database and backend for web app developers, with server functions written in TypeScript and live-updating queries, offered in the cloud or self-hosted. It is a good fit for building real-time web apps in TypeScript, small projects on a free cloud tier and self-hosting a backend on your own infrastructure.
Is Convex open source?: Yes. Convex is open source under a custom licence. Its source code is on GitHub at get-convex/convex-backend and is written mainly in TypeScript.
Is Convex free?: Yes. Convex is open source, so the software itself is free to use under the terms of its own licence. A managed cloud version is also available.
Can I self-host Convex?: Yes. Convex can be self-hosted on your own server or infrastructure.
What is Convex an alternative to?: Convex is an open-source alternative to Firebase, Apple CloudKit and Zoho Catalyst. Other open-source alternatives to Firebase include PocketBase, Supabase and Appwrite.
Is Convex actively maintained?: Yes. The most recent commit to Convex was on 2 October 2026. The project has 13k stars on GitHub.