caniopen-sourceit

the catalog · ☁️ Hosting

Appwrite

★ 52k

All-in-one backend server (auth, databases, functions, storage, messaging) packaged as Docker microservices

Appwrite does the job of Firebase, self-hosted. It is BSD-3-Clause-licensed, so you can do essentially what you like with it, and setting it up is an afternoon, not a weekend. Firebase bills $15-599+ for it. 52k stars on GitHub.

Open-source replacement for Firebase.

Licence
BSD-3-Clause
Self-hosting
Medium
The paid one costs
$15-599+
GitHub stars
52k
view the code →official site →

Is it actually a replacement?

We have written a verdict on what it replaces — what you lose, and why people still pay:

How Appwrite runs

Where it runs

Appwrite runs on your machine or their cloud.

Installing it

Hosted Appwrite Cloud signup, or the official Docker installer/Compose stack.

Where your data lives

Self-hosted Appwrite stores application records in MariaDB, queues and cache in Redis, and uploaded files in Docker volumes or a configured object-storage adapter; functions and build artifacts are managed by the Appwrite worker/executor services. Appwrite Cloud stores the equivalent data in Appwrite's infrastructure.

What setup takes

The installer is one command, but it expands into a large multi-container platform; production use still needs a domain, TLS, SMTP, storage, backups, and careful version upgrades.

The catch compared with Convex

Appwrite supplies the backend pieces but not Convex's end-to-end reactive TypeScript query model, automatic dependency tracking, transactional functions, or client cache semantics.

Appwrite questions

Is Appwrite open source?

Yes — it is released under BSD-3-Clause.

Can Appwrite replace Firebase?

Our verdict on Firebase Blaze is YES. Supabase (108k stars), PocketBase (59k stars), Appwrite (57k stars) are mature open-source replacements for Firebase Blaze — self-host with real ops work and stop paying.

Can I self-host Appwrite?

Yes — we rate it medium to self-host, and it runs on your machine or their cloud. Hosted Appwrite Cloud signup, or the official Docker installer/Compose stack.

More backend-as-a-service tools