Self-host NocoDB

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

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A self-hosted Airtable alternative: a spreadsheet-style interface with grid, kanban, calendar, gallery and form views over its own PostgreSQL, or over an existing PostgreSQL or MySQL database you connect.

Airtable / yr$288

Self-hosted / yr~$283

You keep$5/yr

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Key facts

CategoryNo-code database

LicenseSustainable Use License

StackTypeScript, NestJS, Vue

Min RAM2048 MB

Official imageyes

Measured idle RAM1557 MB

Difficulty

Sourcegithub.com/nocodb/nocodb

Websitenocodb.com

Our recommendation

Pick NocoDB when you want the Airtable interface without per-seat fees: its free Community edition keeps grid, gallery, form, kanban, calendar and map views, webhooks, the REST API, API tokens, role-based permissions and Airtable import, with no limits on bases, records or fields. It can also put that interface on an existing PostgreSQL or MySQL database. Upstream's single-server installer writes a Docker Compose stack (NocoDB, a worker, PostgreSQL, Redis and Traefik with Let's Encrypt), and the docs give a 2 GB / 2 vCPU minimum and 8 GB / 4 vCPU for production. Since January 2026 it is under the Sustainable Use License, not AGPL-3.0: free for internal use, but not open source in the OSI sense. If you need an OSI-licensed core, Baserow is the catalog's other no-code database.

Follow the NocoDB 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

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Kamaterafree trial

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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:

# NocoDB — upstream's single-server installer (nocodb.com/docs/self-hosting/installation/single-server): generates Docker Compose with NocoDB, a worker, PostgreSQL, Redis and Traefik
curl -fsSL https://install.nocodb.com/noco.sh -o noco.sh
less noco.sh   # upstream suggests reading it before running
bash noco.sh --domain=nocodb.example.com --acme-email=ops@example.com --pg=bundled --redis=bundled
# --image-tag=<tag> pins nocodb/nocodb (default: latest); --quick instead gives a local-only stack on port 8080
# open https://nocodb.example.com — the first user to sign up becomes super admin

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

What you take on

NocoDB's own docs flag what to settle before it holds real data:

non-negotiableThe licence changed. From January 2026 both master and develop are under the Sustainable Use License, which allows use "only for your own internal business purposes or for non-commercial or personal use". Upstream says offering NocoDB as a hosted or managed service, or giving external customers direct access to it, needs a commercial licence. Internal self-hosting at any company size is free.

non-negotiableCommunity edition leaves out SSO, 2FA, audit logs, SCIM, the admin panel, record-, table- and field-level permissions, realtime collaboration, timeline and Gantt views, custom scripts and AI fields, and it allows one workspace and two workflows per base (core nodes only). Paid Business and Scale licences are bought through NocoDB Cloud and billed per editor.

non-negotiableUse PostgreSQL for NocoDB's own database. The plain docker run defaults to SQLite, but licence activation "requires PostgreSQL"; SQLite and MySQL instances cannot activate one, and moving off SQLite later follows a community-contributed migration guide.

non-negotiableThe first user to sign up becomes super admin, so register straight after the stack starts. The installer tracks latest unless you pass --image-tag=; upstream's hardening checklist says to pin image tags, schedule a daily pg_dump plus an attachment tarball, and allow outbound HTTPS to app.nocodb.com, which NocoDB calls every six hours for licence activation.

non-negotiableOn a connected external database, schema editing is off by default and upstream "strongly advises against enabling" it. Data editing is on by default, so turn it off for read-only use (it can only be disabled while schema editing is disabled too).