Datacake

Best Self Hosted Alternatives to Datacake

A curated collection of the 5 best self hosted alternatives to Datacake.

Datacake is a cloud IoT platform for connecting and managing devices (including LoRaWAN), decoding sensor payloads, storing time-series metrics, and building dashboards, alerts and integrations. It provides MQTT, webhooks and GraphQL APIs and supports multi-tenant white‑label deployments.

Alternatives List

#1
ThingsBoard

ThingsBoard

Open-source IoT platform for device management, telemetry collection, rule-based processing, alarms, and real-time dashboards using standard IoT protocols.

ThingsBoard is an open-source IoT platform for connecting, managing, and monitoring devices while collecting, processing, and visualizing telemetry data. It supports both on-premises and cloud deployments and is designed for scalable, fault-tolerant IoT solutions.

Key Features

  • Device and asset management with entity relationships and server-side APIs
  • Device connectivity via MQTT, CoAP, and HTTP(S)
  • Telemetry ingestion and storage with real-time visualization dashboards
  • Extensible widgets and dashboard building, including SCADA-style dashboards
  • Rule Engine with configurable rule chains for processing, enrichment, routing, and actions
  • Alarms management with propagation across entity hierarchies
  • Multi-tenancy support for tenants, customers, and role-based administration
  • Remote device control via RPC and attribute management

Use Cases

  • Industrial monitoring and SCADA dashboards for operational control
  • Fleet and asset tracking with real-time maps and alerts
  • Smart metering/energy monitoring with threshold-based alarms and reporting

Limitations and Considerations

  • Full functionality (e.g., clustering/microservices capabilities) depends on the chosen deployment mode and supporting infrastructure.

ThingsBoard is well-suited for teams that need a device-agnostic IoT backend with strong visualization, rule-based automation, and multi-tenant support. It provides a solid foundation for building production IoT applications that require reliable ingestion, processing, and operational dashboards.

20.9kstars
6kforks
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#2
ESPHome

ESPHome

ESPHome generates custom firmware for ESP32/ESP8266 and other boards from YAML, enabling local smart home devices with Home Assistant, API, and MQTT integration.

ESPHome screenshot

ESPHome is an open-source firmware framework that turns supported microcontrollers into configurable smart home devices using simple YAML files. It generates and builds device firmware, then lets you control and monitor devices locally via integrations such as Home Assistant, native API, web interfaces, and MQTT.

Key Features

  • YAML-based configuration for creating custom sensors, switches, displays, and more
  • Broad hardware support via modular components (many sensors, buses, and peripherals)
  • Seamless Home Assistant integration (commonly used via the Home Assistant add-on)
  • Multiple control interfaces including native API, web UI, and MQTT
  • On-device automations for local logic and reduced dependency on a central controller
  • Over-the-air (OTA) firmware updates for remote maintenance
  • Local-first operation designed to work without cloud dependencies

Use Cases

  • Build DIY smart home sensors (temperature, air quality, presence) and actuators (relays, lights)
  • Deploy locally controlled smart devices for homes and small commercial installations
  • Prototype and standardize firmware for hardware products targeting ESPHome ecosystems

Limitations and Considerations

  • Requires flashing compatible hardware and ongoing firmware management practices
  • Hardware feature support varies by chip family and component; some advanced use cases may require custom components

ESPHome is a strong fit for anyone who wants reliable, locally controlled smart home devices without writing embedded C++ from scratch. Its YAML workflow, broad component ecosystem, and OTA updates make it practical for both hobbyist and professional deployments.

10.4kstars
5kforks
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#3
evcc

evcc

Open-source EV charge controller that optimizes vehicle charging with PV, batteries and dynamic tariffs; supports many chargers, vehicles and smart-home integrations.

evcc screenshot

evcc is an open-source energy management system focused on electric vehicle charging. It controls chargers and smart sockets to maximize PV surplus, use favorable tariffs, and coordinate with home batteries and vehicles.

Key Features

  • Local-first EV charge control that adjusts charging power to PV surplus and dynamic electricity prices.
  • Broad hardware support: many EV chargers, vehicle APIs, inverters, home batteries, smart plugs and energy meters are supported and tested.
  • Protocol and plugin support including OCPP, EEBus, Modbus, SunSpec, MQTT, HTTP/JSON and scriptable extensions for custom devices.
  • Dynamic tariff and price-based scheduling, PV-surplus charging, load management for multi-vehicle and multi-system setups.
  • Responsive web UI with light/dark modes and a public demo instance for exploration.
  • Lightweight Go backend with a TypeScript/Node-based frontend toolchain; designed to run on low-resource devices (Raspberry Pi) or in Docker.
  • Integrations with common smart-home platforms (Home Assistant, openHAB, ioBroker) and vehicle services for SOC, remote charge and preconditioning.

Use Cases

  • Homeowners with PV systems who want to prioritize solar surplus for EV charging and lower grid consumption.
  • Multi-vehicle homes or small installations needing coordinated load management to avoid overloading the connection.
  • Installers, power users and developers evaluating integrations or testing via the public demo and extensive device plugin support.

Limitations and Considerations

  • Initial setup requires intermediate technical knowledge (editing YAML, CLI familiarity) and can be time consuming for complex integrations.
  • The project relies primarily on community channels for support; individual paid support is not directly offered by the core team.
  • Feature availability depends on device APIs and vendor interfaces; some integrations may be partially limited by manufacturer capabilities.

In summary, evcc is a flexible, community-driven EV charge controller and home energy manager designed for local operation and broad device compatibility. It is optimized for PV-first charging scenarios and offers extensible plugins for custom hardware and smart-home integrations.

6kstars
1.2kforks
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#4
ioBroker

ioBroker

Open source IoT integration and automation platform with an adapter ecosystem, centralized state database, and tools for visualization and data logging.

ioBroker screenshot

ioBroker is an integration platform for IoT and smart home automation that connects many different systems through a large adapter ecosystem. It provides a common data model with object metadata and state values, enabling automation, visualization, and data logging across devices and services.

Key Features

  • Adapter-based architecture to integrate heterogeneous smart home and IoT systems
  • Central object and state databases with event-based updates
  • Optional Redis backend for state storage and pub/sub messaging
  • Runs on many platforms supported by Node.js (Linux, Windows, macOS; ARM/x86)
  • Designed to run multiple adapter instances as separate processes for flexibility

Use Cases

  • Unify devices and services from different vendors into a single automation system
  • Build dashboards/visualizations and log sensor/actuator data for analysis
  • Implement home automation and building automation workflows using adapters

Limitations and Considerations

  • Memory usage scales with the number of adapter instances because each runs as a separate process
  • Intended for trusted networks; exposing components to the internet requires careful hardening (HTTPS, VPN, reverse proxy)

ioBroker is a solid choice when you need a self-managed automation hub that focuses on interoperability and extensibility. Its database-centered model and adapter ecosystem make it suitable for both small smart homes and more complex IoT deployments.

1.4kstars
156forks
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#5
Emoncms

Emoncms

Open-source web app to collect, process, store, and visualize energy, temperature, and other environmental time-series data with dashboards, graphs, and an API.

Emoncms screenshot

Emoncms is an open-source web application for processing, logging, and visualizing energy, temperature, and other environmental sensor data. It is part of the OpenEnergyMonitor ecosystem and is commonly used to build local energy monitoring and reporting systems.

Key Features

  • Input processing pipeline to transform, scale, filter, and route incoming measurements into stored feeds
  • Time-series feed storage optimized for sensor data logging, including built-in PHP-based engines (e.g., PHPFina and PHPTimeSeries)
  • Dashboards and advanced graphing via modular components (dashboard and graph modules)
  • HTTP API for posting data and querying feeds for integration with external devices and systems
  • Optional Redis buffering and processing to reduce disk writes and support certain input processors
  • CSV export and tools for backups/imports depending on installed modules

Use Cases

  • Home and building energy monitoring (electricity, solar PV, heat, hot water)
  • Logging and visualization of temperature, humidity, and other environmental metrics
  • Creating shareable dashboards for energy and sustainability reporting

Limitations and Considerations

  • Some features and workflows depend on optional modules and background workers; deployments without Redis may have reduced functionality for certain processors
  • Official installation guidance and testing focus on Linux environments (notably Debian/Ubuntu and Raspberry Pi OS)

Emoncms is a practical choice when you need a customizable, self-managed platform to ingest sensor readings, store them as time series, and present them through dashboards and graphs. Its API- and module-driven design makes it suitable for both DIY monitoring setups and more integrated energy data systems.

1.3kstars
529forks
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Why choose an open source alternative?

  • •Data ownership: Keep your data on your own servers
  • •No vendor lock-in: Freedom to switch or modify at any time
  • •Cost savings: Reduce or eliminate subscription fees
  • •Transparency: Audit the code and know exactly what's running