What it is

Baserow is an open-source no-code platform for building databases, applications, automations, dashboards, and AI agents. It combines a spreadsheet-style interface with a relational database backend, letting teams structure data, create internal tools, and visualize results without writing code. The project is written in Python and built on Django, Vue.js, and PostgreSQL, and it lives in the low-code and no-code ecosystem as a self-hostable alternative to Airtable and Microsoft Excel. It is distributed under an open-core model, with all non-premium and non-enterprise features licensed under the MIT License for commercial and private use.

The concrete problem Baserow solves is data control. Teams that rely on hosted spreadsheet-database hybrids often face storage limits, per-seat pricing, and compliance constraints that conflict with internal security requirements. Baserow addresses this by offering a cloud option and a fully self-hosted deployment with no storage restrictions, so organizations can keep data on their own infrastructure. It also targets teams that need to turn a database into a real application: forms, portals, dashboards, and automations can all be built on top of the same structured data, published on a custom domain, and accessed through a headless, API-first interface.

Key capabilities

• Spreadsheet-database hybrid that pairs the familiarity of a grid with relational data organization.
• Application builder for creating portals and internal tools, publishable on a custom domain.
• Automations for repetitive workflows triggered by data events.
• Dashboards for visualizing data stored in the underlying tables.
• Kuma, a built-in AI assistant that builds complete solutions from natural language prompts.
• Headless and API-first design, with OpenAPI schema and Redoc documentation exposed.
• Fully extensible, self-hostable deployment with no storage restrictions.

Who uses it and how

• Teams migrating from Airtable or Microsoft Excel that need relational structure with a grid interface.
• Organizations with GDPR, HIPAA, or SOC 2 Type II compliance obligations that require self-hosted data control.
• Internal tool builders who create portals, forms, and dashboards on top of a shared database.
• Operations teams that automate repetitive workflows using event-driven automations.
• Developers integrating Baserow into existing systems through its headless API.

Getting started

Baserow runs through a Docker image (baserow/baserow:2.3.3), and installation is documented for Docker, Docker Compose, Helm, Heroku, Render, Digital Ocean, AWS, Cloudron, Railway, and Elestio. A hosted cloud option is available at https://baserow.io for users who prefer not to self-host.

When to use it — and when not to

Baserow is positioned as an alternative to Airtable and Microsoft Excel, and it offers the advantage of self-hosting, no storage restrictions, and MIT-licensed core features, while the paid products it replaces are hosted services with vendor-controlled infrastructure. A self-hoster must operate the full stack that Baserow depends on, including PostgreSQL, and manage deployment, updates, and scaling. The project is also young, with a large number of open issues and no listed contributors or release history in the registry data, so teams should expect an actively evolving codebase.

docker run -v baserow_data:/baserow/data -p 80:80 -p 443:443 baserow/baserow:2.3.3

git clone https://github.com/baserow/baserow.git
cd baserow

just dc-dev build --parallel
just dc-dev up -d