What it is

Nhost is an open-source backend-as-a-service platform for modern application development, and the project describes itself as a Firebase alternative with GraphQL. It is built around PostgreSQL for data, Hasura for an instant GraphQL API, authentication, storage, and serverless functions written in Node.js with JavaScript or TypeScript. The project is distributed under the MIT license and is positioned in the developer tools category for build and deployment.

The concrete problem it addresses is the need for a backend foundation that can be used as an open-source alternative to Firebase. Teams can create a database, expose a GraphQL API, manage sign-in, use storage, and run serverless functions from one open-source stack. The platform is frontend agnostic, and the README mentions clients for JavaScript and TypeScript as well as Dart and Flutter.

Key capabilities

• The platform uses PostgreSQL as its database layer.
• It provides an instant GraphQL API through Hasura.
• It includes an authentication service that supports email and password sign-in in the example workflow.
• It includes a storage service.
• It supports serverless functions built with Node.js, JavaScript, and TypeScript.
• The Nhost CLI sets up a local development environment that tracks database migrations and Hasura metadata.
• The platform exposes GraphQL requests through client libraries for JavaScript and TypeScript, and it also references a Dart and Flutter client.

Who uses it and how

• Application developers use Nhost to build a backend for applications without creating separate database, API, authentication, and storage services.
• Teams can use the hosted Nhost platform by signing in, creating an app, and then connecting a client with a project subdomain and region.
• Developers can use the CLI for local development by running login, init, and up commands after installing the CLI.
• Operators can self-host the entire stack by using the example docker-compose file from the repository.
• Frontend teams can connect Nhost to JavaScript, TypeScript, Dart, or Flutter applications because the README states that the platform is frontend agnostic.

Getting started

The README lists three typical paths: using the hosted Nhost platform, installing the Nhost CLI through Homebrew, curl, Nix, npm, pnpm, Yarn, or Bun, and self-hosting the stack with the example docker-compose file. Local development starts with the nhost login, nhost init, and nhost up commands.

When to use it — and when not to

Nhost is useful when teams want an open-source Firebase alternative with GraphQL and SQL, and when they are willing to operate the PostgreSQL, Hasura, authentication, storage, and serverless function components. Compared with Firebase, it exposes more infrastructure pieces to manage, especially for self-hosting. The provided metadata lists a repo age of 0 years, 0 contributors, and 164 open issues, so teams should review maintenance status before adopting it.

nhost login
nhost init
nhost up

import { createClient } from '@nhost/nhost-js'

const nhost = createClient({
  subdomain: 'your-project',
  region: 'eu-central-1'
})

await nhost.auth.signInEmailPassword({
  email: '[email protected]',
  password: '<password>'
})

await nhost.graphql.request({
  query: `
    query GetUsers {
      users {
        id
        displayName
        email
      }
    }
  `
})