Self-host Baserow

updated Sep 2026deployed by usprices checked · Jul 2026Install verified on Ubuntu 26.04 · Sep 2026 · how we test

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An open-core Airtable alternative on Django and PostgreSQL: spreadsheet-style databases with an auto-documented REST API, plus an application builder, dashboards and automations, in one all-in-one Docker image.

Airtable / yr$288

Self-hosted / yr~$283

You keep$5/yr

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Key facts

CategoryNo-code database

LicenseMIT

StackPython, Django, Vue

Min RAM2048 MB

Official imageyes

Measured idle RAM1167 MB

Difficulty

Sourcegithub.com/baserow/baserow

Websitebaserow.io

Our recommendation

Pick Baserow when you want an Airtable alternative whose free edition is real open source: everything outside its `premium/` and `enterprise/` directories is MIT, and upstream says self-hosted Baserow has no row, storage or API request limits. The free edition includes grid, form and gallery views, webhooks, a REST API with auto-generated per-database docs, two-factor authentication, dashboards, an application builder and an automation builder, all on Django and PostgreSQL. The quickest install is one all-in-one container that runs the app, PostgreSQL, Redis and Caddy with automatic HTTPS. Upstream's DigitalOcean guide says 1 vCPU and 2 GB of RAM per app container at minimum; our 2 GB floor uses that figure. If you need kanban and calendar views without paying, NocoDB's Community edition includes them.

Follow the Baserow deploy guide →

What you need

Any VPS with at least 2048 MB of RAM
A domain you control — most self-hosted setups need HTTPS in front of them
Under an hour if you've used Docker before

Where to host itaffiliate disclosure

Hetzner Cloudrun it on

From $23.59/mo · 2 vCPU / 4 GB / 80 GB · EU + US

Get Hetzner Cloud

Kamaterafree trial

From $4/mo · 1 vCPU / 1 GB / 20 GB · US + EU + Asia

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DigitalOceanalso works on

From $6/mo · 1 vCPU / 1 GB / 25 GB · US + EU + Asia

Deploy on DigitalOcean →

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Install

Run these commands on your server:

# Baserow — the all-in-one image (app, PostgreSQL, Redis and Caddy in one container), per baserow.io/docs/installation/install-with-docker
docker run -d --name baserow \
  -e BASEROW_PUBLIC_URL=https://baserow.example.com \
  -e BASEROW_CADDY_ADDRESSES=:443 \
  -v baserow_data:/baserow/data \
  -p 80:80 -p 443:443 \
  --restart unless-stopped \
  baserow/baserow:2.3.4
# optional: -e DATABASE_URL=postgresql://user:pwd@host:port/db to use an external PostgreSQL (upstream recommends it for production)
# BASEROW_PUBLIC_URL must match the address you type in the browser

deploy guideHow to Deploy Baserow on a VPS vps picksBest VPS for self-hostingbenchmarked quarterly · re-priced monthly

What you take on

Baserow's docs are clear about where the free edition stops and what the all-in-one image leaves to you:

non-negotiableKanban, calendar and timeline views and row comments are in the premium/ code, and SSO, audit logs, role-based and field-level permissions and two-way PostgreSQL sync are in enterprise/. That code ships in the same image but may only be used in production with a paid subscription "for the correct number of users". Self-hosted licences are bought through a Baserow Cloud account and registered under Admin → Licenses.

non-negotiableBASEROW_PUBLIC_URL must match the address users type into the browser; upstream warns any other address is treated as a published application. Add BASEROW_CADDY_ADDRESSES to get automatic HTTPS from the built-in Caddy.

non-negotiableDocker port publishing bypasses ufw rules, so -p 80:80 -p 443:443 exposes Baserow publicly whatever your firewall says. Upstream suggests binding to 127.0.0.1 if that is not what you want.

non-negotiableThe all-in-one image keeps PostgreSQL, Redis, Caddy and uploads in /baserow/data; mount a volume or lose everything when the container goes. The documented full backup is a tar of that volume with Baserow stopped, which only works with the internal database. Upstream recommends an external PostgreSQL (DATABASE_URL) for production, and old embedded PostgreSQL 11 data directories need upstream's upgrade image before newer releases will start.

non-negotiableUpgrades mean starting a new container on a newer image tag; Baserow migrates itself on startup, and upstream says to back up first. To trim memory, BASEROW_RUN_MINIMAL=yes with BASEROW_AMOUNT_OF_WORKERS=1 runs a single background worker, at the cost of slow tasks delaying realtime updates.