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Self-host NocoBase
updated Oct 2026deployed by usprices checked · Jul 2026Install verified on Ubuntu 26.04 · Oct 2026 · how we test
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A data-model-driven no-code and low-code platform: define collections and fields, then compose pages, blocks, workflows and permissions over them in the browser, with a plugin architecture for everything else. The Community Edition is published under the NocoBase License Agreement, which incorporates Apache-2.0 and adds supplementary terms (keep the NocoBase branding, do not offer it as a low-code SaaS); paid Standard, Professional and Enterprise editions lift those limits and add commercial plugins.
Runs on a VPS from $12/mo (Kamatera 4GB, 4 GB RAM) · prices checked Sep 2026
Our recommendation
Pick NocoBase when you want to start from the data model rather than the screen: define collections, fields and relations, then compose pages, blocks, workflows and role-based permissions over them, with everything beyond the kernel delivered as plugins. It is a TypeScript and Node.js application; the official Docker route runs one `nocobase/nocobase` image beside PostgreSQL (MySQL and MariaDB variants are documented too), with a `./storage` directory for uploads and the database. Upstream publishes no RAM minimum, so our 2 GB floor is an estimate. The licence is the thing to read: the repository's `LICENSE.txt` is a NocoBase License Agreement that incorporates Apache-2.0 but adds supplementary terms, so it is source-available rather than plain Apache-2.0. Within the catalog's low-code internal-tool builders, NocoBase is the closest to the no-code databases such as NocoDB, Baserow and Teable, with a stronger app-building layer on top; Appsmith, ToolJet and Budibase start from UI over existing data sources instead.
NocoBase's licence agreement, commercial page and Docker docs are explicit about the terms:
non-negotiableThe Community Edition may be used commercially, but the supplementary terms forbid removing or changing NocoBase's brand, name, link, version and licence information in the interface (only the top-left logo may change) and forbid offering any no-code, low-code or AI-platform SaaS or PaaS built on it. Rebranding, external MySQL or PostgreSQL data sources and large Excel import/export are Standard Edition features; building apps for clients, SSO and advanced workflows are Professional; clustering, audit logs and Oracle or ClickHouse sources are Enterprise.
non-negotiableThe first start creates a default administrator, admin@nocobase.com / admin123 (overridable with INIT_ROOT_EMAIL / INIT_ROOT_PASSWORD); change it as soon as you log in. APP_KEY signs user tokens: changing it logs everyone out, and losing it does the same, so keep .env with your backups.
non-negotiableThe database lives under ./storage/db/postgres and uploads under ./storage; back both up. The backup and migration plugins need the database client tools that only the -full image tag carries (it also adds LibreOffice for PDF printing), so switch tags if you rely on them. Upstream recommends pinning a specific version in production to avoid unplanned upgrades.
non-negotiablePort 13000 is plain HTTP; put a TLS reverse proxy in front before exposing it. Upstream's compose starts PostgreSQL with wal_level=logical, which our file keeps, and its example image is latest-full, a rolling tag that our snippet replaces with a fixed version.