What is Nhost used for?

Nhost is an open-source Firebase alternative built on PostgreSQL, Hasura GraphQL, authentication, storage and serverless functions, available hosted or self-hosted. It is a good fit for backends for React, Next.js and Flutter apps; moving off Firebase to SQL and GraphQL; and self-hosted backend-as-a-service.

Is Nhost open source?

Yes. Nhost is open source under the MIT licence. Its source code is on GitHub at nhost/nhost and is written mainly in TypeScript.

Yes. Nhost is open source, so the software itself is free to use. A managed cloud version is also available, with paid plans from $25 per month.

Can I self-host Nhost?

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

What is Nhost an alternative to?

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

Is Nhost actively maintained?

Yes. The most recent commit to Nhost was on 2 October 2026. The project has 9.3k stars on GitHub.

Nhost: open-source alternative to Firebase, Xano

About Nhost

Nhost is an open-source backend platform positioned as a Firebase alternative with GraphQL. It is built around open source, GraphQL, SQL and a good developer experience, and gives frontend developers a complete backend without writing server code.

The stack combines a PostgreSQL database, an instant GraphQL API through Hasura, an authentication service, a storage service and serverless functions written in Node.js, in JavaScript or TypeScript. The Nhost CLI creates a local development environment that follows database migrations and Hasura metadata, and a client package called nhost-js is used from the app. Nhost is frontend agnostic, with topics listing Next.js, React, Vue and Flutter.

You can use the Nhost hosted platform, develop locally with the CLI or self-host the entire stack, with an example docker-compose file provided. The project is written in TypeScript and licensed under MIT. It suits developers who prefer SQL and GraphQL to a proprietary NoSQL backend.

Key features

PostgreSQL as the core database
Instant GraphQL API via Hasura
Built-in authentication service
File storage service
Serverless functions in Node.js
CLI for local development
Docker Compose self-hosting

Good fit for

→Backends for React, Next.js and Flutter apps
→Moving off Firebase to SQL and GraphQL
→Self-hosted backend-as-a-service

Built with: TypeScript; PostgreSQL; GraphQL; Flutter; Next.js; React; JavaScript; Vue
Tags: baas; backend; graphql; postgresql; hasura; authentication; firebase-alternative; serverless; self-hosted

Nhost: questions and answers

What is Nhost used for?: Nhost is an open-source Firebase alternative built on PostgreSQL, Hasura GraphQL, authentication, storage and serverless functions, available hosted or self-hosted. It is a good fit for backends for React, Next.js and Flutter apps; moving off Firebase to SQL and GraphQL; and self-hosted backend-as-a-service.
Is Nhost open source?: Yes. Nhost is open source under the MIT licence. Its source code is on GitHub at nhost/nhost and is written mainly in TypeScript.
Is Nhost free?: Yes. Nhost is open source, so the software itself is free to use. A managed cloud version is also available, with paid plans from $25 per month.
Can I self-host Nhost?: Yes. Nhost can be self-hosted on your own server or infrastructure.
What is Nhost an alternative to?: Nhost is an open-source alternative to Firebase, Xano, Apple CloudKit and Zoho Catalyst. Other open-source alternatives to Firebase include PocketBase, Appwrite and Supabase.
Is Nhost actively maintained?: Yes. The most recent commit to Nhost was on 2 October 2026. The project has 9.3k stars on GitHub.