Self-description (pocketbase.io): “Open Source realtime backend in 1 file”
PocketBase is an MIT-licensed Go backend that ships as a single executable with an embedded SQLite database, realtime subscriptions, auth and an admin dashboard. It is positioned as a lightweight alternative to Firebase or Supabase. The repository was created on July 5, 2022. The first release and a Show HN post came out on July 7, followed by a Product Hunt launch on July 8. By October 2026 it had about 61,000 stars, 292 releases and 45 contributors. Star growth since launch has come in a series of short bursts that line up in time with large Hacker News posts and GitHub trending placements, with steadier growth between them.
The evidence points to a loop driven by recurring exposure rather than one launch. People other than the maintainer kept reposting PocketBase to Hacker News, often reusing the '1 file' tagline. Two reposts, in January 2024 and November 2025, drew more points than the original Show HN. Over 214 days the repo also returned to GitHub trending, including top-5 placements across all languages in December 2023, April 2025 and July 2025. Star bursts happened around the same time as several of these placements. Separately, a third-party ecosystem grew alongside the project: unofficial hosting (PocketHost), community clients in several languages, and deployment guides. The permissive license allows this kind of outside work. The claims do not measure how much each part feeds the others.
Moderate inference| Date | Type | Event |
|---|---|---|
| Jul 05, 2022 | Repository | pocketbase/pocketbase repository created |
| Jul 07, 2022 | Release | First release v0.1.0 |
| Jul 07, 2022 | Show HN | Show HN: PocketBase – Open Source realtime backend in one file |
| Jul 07, 2022 | Hacker News | On Hacker News: PocketBase – open-source Golang framework in 1 file |
| Jul 08, 2022 | Release | Release v0.1.1 |
| Jul 08, 2022 | Release | Release v0.1.2 |
| Jul 08, 2022 | Product Hunt | PocketBase launched on Product Hunt |
| Jul 09, 2022 – Jul 12, 2022 | Milestone | #1 on GitHub trending (Go) shortly after launch |
| Jul 10, 2022 | Release | Release v0.2.0 |
| Jul 10, 2022 | Release | Release v0.2.1 |
| Jul 10, 2022 | Release | Release v0.2.2 |
| Jul 11, 2022 | Release | Release v0.2.3 |
| Jul 12, 2022 | Release | Release v0.2.4 |
| Jul 14, 2022 | Release | Release v0.2.5 |
| Jul 14, 2022 | Release | Release v0.2.6 |
| Jul 14, 2022 | Release | Release v0.2.7 |
| Jul 15, 2022 | Release | Release v0.2.8 |
| Jul 18, 2022 | Release | Release v0.3.0 |
| Jul 19, 2022 | Release | Release v0.3.1 |
| Jul 21, 2022 | Release | Release v0.3.2 |
| Aug 11, 2022 | Release | Release v0.4.0 |
| Aug 21, 2022 | Release | Release v0.5.0 |
| Aug 25, 2022 | Release | Release v0.5.1 |
| Aug 31, 2022 | Release | Release v0.5.2 |
| Sep 02, 2022 | Release | Release v0.6.0 |
| Sep 08, 2022 | Release | Release v0.7.0 |
| Sep 11, 2022 | Release | Release v0.7.2 |
| Sep 16, 2022 | Release | Release v0.7.3 |
| Sep 17, 2022 | Hacker News | On Hacker News: Pocketbase: Open-Source Back End |
| Sep 18, 2022 | Release | Release v0.7.4 |
| Oct 07, 2022 | Hacker News | On Hacker News: PocketBase: Open-source back end in 1 file |
| Jul 05, 2023 | Hacker News | On Hacker News: Host Pocketbase on Hop.io |
| Jul 30, 2023 | Hacker News | On Hacker News: Pocketbase 0.17.0: Extend with JavaScript |
| Dec 12, 2023 | Milestone | #4 across all languages on GitHub trending |
| Jan 07, 2024 | Hacker News | On Hacker News: Pocketbase: Open-source back end in one file |
| Jan 22, 2024 | Hacker News | On Hacker News: No longer accepting donations (Pocketbase) |
| Jun 13, 2024 | Show HN | Show HN: Migrated from Supabase to Pocketbase => 4x+ text search speed in my app |
| Jul 28, 2024 | Hacker News | On Hacker News: Pocketbase: Open-source realtime back end in 1 file |
| Oct 06, 2024 | Hacker News | On Hacker News: Pocketbase v0.23.0-RC Prerelease |
| Nov 25, 2024 | Hacker News | On Hacker News: Pocketbase – v0.23.0 Release |
| Dec 23, 2024 | Hacker News | On Hacker News: Will PocketBase Survive? |
| Jan 02, 2025 | Hacker News | On Hacker News: Pocketbase v0.24.0 Release |
| Apr 24, 2025 | Milestone | #3 across all languages on GitHub trending |
| May 15, 2025 | Hacker News | On Hacker News: PocketBase: Open-source back end in 1 file |
| Jul 08, 2025 | Milestone | #5 across all languages on GitHub trending |
| Jul 11, 2025 | Hacker News | On Hacker News: PocketBase – open-source back end in 1 file |
| Oct 19, 2025 | Hacker News | On Hacker News: Should Pocketbase add support for a native Python SDK? |
| Oct 29, 2025 | Hacker News | On Hacker News: PocketBase 2026: FLOSS/fund sponsorship and UI rewrite |
| Oct 30, 2025 | Hacker News | On Hacker News: Floss/Fund sponsor PocketBase |
| Nov 28, 2025 | Hacker News | On Hacker News: Pocketbase – open-source realtime back end in 1 file |
| Feb 18, 2026 | Hacker News | On Hacker News: Pocketbase lost its funding from FLOSS fund |
| Jul 16, 2026 | Milestone | #1 in Go trending on GitHub |
| Sep 12, 2026 | Release | Release v0.40.4 |
+7,018 stars in 21 day(s); peak day Jul 07 with +1,242. Afterwards (days 31–90) the project averaged 97.0 stars/day, up from almost none before. 18 public event(s) observed within this window (timing only).
+1,235 stars in 12 day(s); peak day Aug 25 with +213. Afterwards (days 31–90) it averaged 40.4 stars/day, which returned close to the 29.9/day before the episode. 3 public event(s) observed within this window (timing only).
+3,304 stars in 8 day(s); peak day Sep 13 with +997. Afterwards (days 31–90) it averaged 40.3 stars/day, which fell below the 65.5/day before the episode. 4 public event(s) observed within this window (timing only).
+1,867 stars in 18 day(s); peak day Dec 21 with +316. Afterwards (days 31–90) it averaged 24.3 stars/day, which returned close to the 26.5/day before the episode. No high-confidence public event found.
+1,194 stars in 16 day(s); peak day Dec 11 with +303. Afterwards (days 31–90) it averaged 30.5 stars/day, which stayed well above the 16.1/day before the episode. 1 public event(s) observed within this window (timing only).
+1,387 stars in 6 day(s); peak day Jan 07 with +522. Afterwards (days 31–90) it averaged 23.3 stars/day, which fell below the 41.5/day before the episode. 1 public event(s) observed within this window (timing only).
+1,213 stars in 8 day(s); peak day Apr 23 with +375. Afterwards (days 31–90) it averaged 35.0 stars/day, which returned close to the 25.9/day before the episode. 1 public event(s) observed within this window (timing only).
+921 stars in 9 day(s); peak day Jul 07 with +239. Afterwards (days 31–90) it averaged 29.1 stars/day, which returned close to the 20.5/day before the episode. 2 public event(s) observed within this window (timing only).
| When | Launch episode | Stars before | +24h | +7 days | +30 days | +90 days |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 07, 2022 – Jul 21, 2022 | Product Hunt launch, Jul 2022 | 0 | +2.4K | +6.1K | +7.2K | +14K |
| Jan 07, 2024 | Hacker News attention, Jan 2024 | 27K | +934 | +1.5K | +2.6K | +4K |
| Jun 13, 2024 | Hacker News launch, Jun 2024 | 33K | +56 | +860 | +1.7K | +4.2K |
| Nov 28, 2025 | Hacker News attention, Nov 2025 | 52K | +430 | +768 | +1.5K | +3.3K |
| Feb 18, 2026 | Hacker News attention, Feb 2026 | 55K | +77 | +254 | +850 | +2.5K |
Each row's "state before" and outcome details are in the evidence drawer. Comparing rows shows how the project's situation and response differed between launches.
18 related public event(s): hacker news post, product hunt launch, release, show hn. State before: About 0 stars the day before; repository 2 days old; first launch episode Pigtail found.
Stars went from 0 the day before to 13,517 (+24h: +2,413, +48h: +3,294, +7d: +6,127, +30d: +7,239, +90d: +13,517). Observed after the launch; not proof that the launch caused the change.
The launch week coincided with the Show HN (563 points), the Product Hunt launch, and #1 on Go trending on Jul 9–12, 2022.
1 related public event(s): hacker news post. State before: About 27,487 stars the day before; repository 551 days old; 1 earlier launch episode(s).
Stars went from 27,487 the day before to 31,447 (+24h: +934, +48h: +1,170, +7d: +1,523, +30d: +2,593, +90d: +3,960). Observed after the launch; not proof that the launch caused the change.
1 related public event(s): show hn. State before: About 33,315 stars the day before; repository 709 days old; 2 earlier launch episode(s).
Stars went from 33,315 the day before to 37,477 (+24h: +56, +48h: +123, +7d: +860, +30d: +1,701, +90d: +4,162). Observed after the launch; not proof that the launch caused the change.
1 related public event(s): hacker news post. State before: About 52,448 stars the day before; repository 3.4 years old; 3 earlier launch episode(s).
Stars went from 52,448 the day before to 55,749 (+24h: +430, +48h: +514, +7d: +768, +30d: +1,493, +90d: +3,301). Observed after the launch; not proof that the launch caused the change.
1 related public event(s): hacker news post. State before: About 55,472 stars the day before; repository 3.6 years old; 4 earlier launch episode(s).
Public posts raised questions about the project's sustainability, including Hacker News posts titled 'Will PocketBase Survive?' and 'Pocketbase lost its funding from FLOSS fund'.
Stars went from 55,472 the day before to 58,005 (+24h: +77, +48h: +111, +7d: +254, +30d: +850, +90d: +2,533). Observed after the launch; not proof that the launch caused the change.
PocketBase started in 2022 as an open source Go project with Bulgaria listed as its country of origin. It is listed as a hobby project on dbdb.io. The public repository was created on July 5, 2022, and v0.1.0 was published two days later. The claims do not say why it was built.
The first visible audience came from Hacker News and Product Hunt. A Show HN post on July 7, 2022, the day v0.1.0 shipped, reached 563 points and 111 comments. The next day PocketBase was hunted on Product Hunt by the Product Hunt account and placed #22 with 114 upvotes. It was #1 in Go on GitHub trending from July 9 to 12. The repo gained 7,018 stars between July 7 and July 27, up from roughly zero before. These were most likely developers browsing HN and GitHub, but the claims do not describe who actually adopted it.
Moderate inference| Oct 05, 2026 | 45 contributors |
| Jul 08, 2022 | 114 upvotes |
| Jul 08, 2022 | 22 rank |
| undated | 6 reviews |
| undated | €30K |
| since Jul 2022 | 214 days |
| undated | 8 repositories |
Community members repeatedly post PocketBase to HN using its tagline, producing large threads years after launch.
How it works: Each major repost re-exposes the project to developers.
The project appears on GitHub trending repeatedly over years.
How it works: Trending placement exposes the repo to browsing developers, which brings more stars and further visibility.
Community clients, hosting and deployment guides extend the product's reach.
How it works: Ecosystem contributions lower adoption friction across languages and platforms.
Publish the first tagged release and a Show HN post on the same day, using a one-line positioning statement.
July 7, 2022: Released v0.1.0 on July 7, 2022. A Show HN titled 'PocketBase – Open Source realtime backend in one file' was posted that day and reached 563 points and 111 comments.
Follow the HN launch with a Product Hunt launch the next day.
July 8, 2022: PocketBase was launched on Product Hunt on July 8, 2022, hunted by the Product Hunt account. It earned 114 upvotes and placed #22 for the day.
Describe the product as a lightweight single-executable alternative to well-known hosted backends.
Date unknown: Used the tagline 'Open Source realtime backend in 1 file' and was positioned against Firebase/Supabase. The phrase recurred in later HN posts.
Publish frequent small releases in the weeks after launch.
Jul 7–21, 2022: Shipped 15 releases from v0.1.0 to v0.3.2 between July 7 and July 21, 2022.
Use the MIT license and explicitly allow the software to be offered as a paid service.
Date unknown: MIT license that permits paid hosting. The unofficial PocketHost service and community deployment guides exist.
The project follows a maintainer roadmap and asks contributors to discuss new-feature PRs before opening them. Releases continued through v0.40.4 without backward-compatibility guarantees before v1.0.0. Stated plans include plugins support and a stable v1.
Within days of repository creation, v0.1.0 shipped on July 7, 2022, the same day as a Show HN post. A Product Hunt launch followed on July 8, along with many patch releases in the following weeks.
PocketBase started in 2022 as an MIT-licensed open source Go project, listed as a hobby project on dbdb.io, with origin listed as Bulgaria. The license explicitly permits offering it as a paid service.
The project stopped accepting donations in January 2024 per a community post. Its FLOSS/fund listing later requested a one-time EUR 30,000 for one year of full-time work.
One reading is that PocketBase competed on simplicity of deployment. It packages the API server, admin dashboard and database into one file and states that constraint plainly in its tagline. It also shipped very quickly after launch: 15 releases between July 7 and July 21, 2022. It keeps a tight scope through a maintainer roadmap, asks contributors to discuss new-feature PRs first, and makes no backward-compatibility guarantee before v1. The single-file design has a known trade-off: it cannot scale horizontally, and one source suggests it suits projects with up to around 10,000 users.
Moderate inference