NHost

What Nhost gives an application

• Tables become queryable GraphQL the moment they exist. Nhost exposes PostgreSQL through Hasura as an auto-generated GraphQL API: tables and views become queryable types, and row-level permission rules decide who can read or write each row. The docs Quickstart shows the flow concretely: sign in, receive a JWT, and query the API with that token in the Authorization header. Hasura Actions add custom business logic as REST endpoints, while Event Triggers fire webhooks on database changes and Scheduled Triggers run cron-style work.[1]

• Sign-in covers passwords, OAuth, magic links, and MFA. Authentication supports email and password, OAuth sign-in with providers including Apple, Google, GitHub, Discord, and LinkedIn, passwordless email links and one-time passwords, and multi-factor authentication with TOTP. The docs also cover anonymous and SMS sign-in, custom verification emails, and JWT configuration. Permissions are enforced at the database row level rather than in application code.[1]

• Uploads land in buckets guarded by the same permission model. File storage is S3-compatible with bucket organization, image transformation, virus scanning, and permission rules that mirror the database authorization model. Files can be uploaded, downloaded, and managed from the dashboard or API under per-bucket access control.[1]

• TypeScript functions run on demand or on a schedule. Serverless functions run JavaScript and TypeScript with NPM packages, can be invoked on demand or on a schedule, and include a local Node.js runtime for development. Remote Schemas let the GraphQL API reach external REST or GraphQL services, so the backend can compose outside data without a separate gateway.[1]

• One command runs the backend; one command ships it. The Nhost CLI installs via NPM, creates a project from a starter template, runs the full backend locally with one command, and deploys to the cloud with another. Type-safe SDKs exist for React, Vue, Next.js, JavaScript, and Dart/Flutter, and the dashboard manages database, users, and files.[1]

Teams most likely to fit Nhost

• Best when Postgres plus GraphQL is the answer. Teams building Firebase-style applications that would rather own a real Postgres database are the natural audience: they get generated APIs without surrendering the schema, migrations, and SQL escape hatches that plain Postgres preserves. The dated third-party comparison places Nhost against Supabase for exactly this evaluation.[1][2]

• Self-hosting keeps regulated or cost-sensitive data in-house. Organizations that must run backends on their own infrastructure, or that want a free self-hosted core with an optional paid cloud later, fit the Docker self-host path the docs describe. The comparison notes Nhost's focus on startups and small to medium businesses.[1]

• Generous free tier with a clear upgrade ladder. The starter plan is free with auth, Postgres, GraphQL, storage, and serverless functions, while launch and pro tiers from $25 per project per month add collaboration, longer retention, higher limits, autoscaling, multi-region availability, and SLAs. That ladder is documented on the official pricing page.[1]

Limits to weigh before adopting

• GraphQL-first narrows the audience. Nhost's API story centers on GraphQL via Hasura, whereas peers lead with REST plus realtime subscriptions. Teams standardized on REST, or needing built-in realtime channels and edge functions as first-class primitives, should verify those paths in the docs before committing, since the inspected pages emphasize GraphQL, actions, and triggers instead.[1][2]

• Ecosystem depth is thinner than the largest peers. The third-party comparison records fewer third-party integrations for Nhost than for Supabase. Combined with a smaller community footprint, that means fewer ready-made examples and extensions; the MIT license and standard Postgres foundation mitigate lock-in but not the integration gap.[1]

Portability and the surrounding stack