Portabase is an Apache-2.0 licensed, self-hosted TypeScript application that backs up and restores PostgreSQL, MySQL, MariaDB, MongoDB, SQLite, Firebird, Microsoft SQL Server, Azure SQL and Docker volumes from a single dashboard, and it is built for developers, DevOps engineers and self-hosters who run their own database instances rather than buying a managed backup service.

What it is

Portabase is a backup and restoration tool for database instances, distributed as a self-hosted web application and packaged for Docker. It is written in TypeScript and built on Next.js, BetterAuth, Drizzle and Shadcn UI, with a Docker image published as portabase/portabase and a Helm chart for Kubernetes. The project describes itself as integrating with Portabase agents, which handle operations for the dashboard securely. It runs on Linux, macOS and Windows, and it carries 1,750 stars, 116 forks and 33 open issues on GitHub.

The concrete problem it solves is fragmentation. A team running several engines normally maintains separate, engine-specific backup routines, one per database, each with its own version handling and restore steps. Portabase replaces that per-engine tooling with one dashboard that covers ten targets, from PostgreSQL 12 through 18 and MySQL 5.7, 8 and 9 to Firebird 3.0, 4.0 and 5.0, MSSQL Server 2017, 2019, 2022 and Azure SQL, MongoDB 4 through 8, SQLite 3.x, MariaDB 10 and 11, and Docker volumes on Docker Engine 20.10 and above. Every one of those engines supports restore except Redis and Valkey, which are backup-only.

Key capabilities

• Backs up and restores PostgreSQL 12–18, MySQL 5.7/8/9, MariaDB 10/11, MongoDB 4–8, SQLite 3.x, Firebird 3.0/4.0/5.0, MSSQL Server 2017/2019/2022 including Azure SQL, and Docker volumes.
• Backs up Redis 2.8+ and Valkey 7.2+ with no restore support, so those two targets are archive-only.
• Integrates with Portabase agents to run and manage operations securely against the dashboard.
• Ships a web dashboard built on Next.js, BetterAuth, Drizzle and Shadcn UI.
• Publishes an official Docker image at portabase/portabase on Docker Hub.
• Publishes a Kubernetes Helm chart through the GitHub Container Registry.
• Supports five installation routes plus a development setup: automated CLI, Docker Run, Docker Compose, Unraid Community Apps and Helm.

Who uses it and how

• Self-hosters running a homelab or small server who want database backups without writing and maintaining cron scripts per engine.
• Unraid users who install the dashboard and agent from Unraid Community Apps and manage backups beside other container workloads.
• Kubernetes teams that deploy the Helm chart and keep backups inside the cluster alongside the databases being protected.
• DevOps teams running mixed engine fleets, for example PostgreSQL for an application plus Redis for caching and MSSQL for legacy services, and who want one panel covering all of them.
• Docker-heavy environments that need volume-level backups, since Docker volumes are a first-class target rather than an afterthought.

Getting started

Portabase documents five installation methods, with the automated CLI listed as recommended, alongside Docker Run, Docker Compose, Unraid Community Apps and Kubernetes via Helm. Docker must be installed on the machine before any of them, and full instructions live at portabase.io/docs/dashboard/setup.

How it compares

No comparable tools are named in the facts provided, so within this registry Portabase stands alone as a multi-engine database backup and restore dashboard. Its distinguishing facts are the breadth of engines covered under one interface and the Redis and Valkey gap, where backup exists but restore does not.

When to use it — and when not to

A self-hoster must run Docker, operate the Portabase dashboard and an agent, and keep the deployment reachable from every database it protects. Anyone who needs Redis or Valkey restores should look elsewhere, because Portabase backs those up but cannot restore them, and teams unwilling to maintain a self-hosted service and its Docker host gain nothing from it. The project is actively pushed and Apache-2.0 licensed, but with 33 open issues and no Redis/Valkey restore path, treat it as a strong fit for PostgreSQL, MySQL, MariaDB, MongoDB, SQLite, Firebird, MSSQL and Docker volume coverage rather than a universal database safety net.