PostGraphile Cloud

Best Self Hosted Alternatives to PostGraphile Cloud

A curated collection of the 3 best self hosted alternatives to PostGraphile Cloud.

Managed service that auto-generates and hosts production-ready GraphQL APIs from PostgreSQL schemas. Provides deployment, scaling, monitoring, and operational tooling to run PostGraphile-based backends without managing infrastructure.

Alternatives List

#1
Supabase

Supabase

Supabase is an open source Postgres development platform providing authentication, auto-generated REST/GraphQL APIs, realtime subscriptions, edge functions, file storage, and vector embeddings.

Supabase screenshot

Supabase is an open source Postgres development platform for building web, mobile, and AI applications. It combines PostgreSQL with a set of services for authentication, instant APIs, realtime updates, serverless functions, and file storage.

Key Features

  • Dedicated PostgreSQL database with SQL, roles, and Row Level Security
  • Auto-generated REST APIs from your database schema
  • Optional GraphQL API via a PostgreSQL extension
  • Authentication and authorization with JWT-based sessions and OAuth2 support
  • Realtime subscriptions over WebSockets driven by PostgreSQL changes
  • File storage service with access control policies backed by Postgres
  • Edge/serverless functions for custom backend logic
  • Vector/embeddings support using Postgres extensions (for semantic search and RAG patterns)
  • Web-based dashboard for managing projects, data, and configuration

Use Cases

  • Replace or self-host a Firebase-like backend for apps with Postgres
  • Build internal tools and SaaS backends with auth, APIs, and storage
  • Create AI-enabled applications using Postgres vector search and embeddings

Limitations and Considerations

  • Some functionality relies on multiple cooperating components (database, realtime, auth, storage, gateway), which increases operational complexity compared to a single service
  • Feature set and behavior can vary depending on the chosen self-hosting setup and enabled extensions

Supabase provides a cohesive backend stack around PostgreSQL while keeping data ownership and portability. It is well-suited for teams that want a modern developer experience with SQL and strong database-native security controls.

96.3kstars
11.3kforks
#2
Hasura GraphQL Engine

Hasura GraphQL Engine

Hasura is an open-source GraphQL engine that instantly exposes realtime, secure GraphQL APIs over databases and other data sources with fine-grained access control.

Hasura GraphQL Engine screenshot

Hasura GraphQL Engine provides instant, realtime GraphQL and REST APIs over your data sources by introspecting schemas and exposing a composable, secure API surface. It supports multiple backends and connector SDKs for adding custom business logic, and includes an admin console and migration tooling for managing schema and metadata.

Key Features

  • Instant GraphQL APIs generated from database schemas with support for queries, mutations, subscriptions (realtime).
  • Fine-grained row- and column-level access control and permission rules.
  • Database event triggers and webhooks for serverless workflows and asynchronous processing.
  • Data Connectors architecture (V3) enabling Postgres, MongoDB, ClickHouse, MS SQL Server and other sources.
  • Connector SDKs for writing custom business logic in TypeScript, Python, and Go.
  • Admin console and migration tooling for schema management and metadata versioning.
  • Remote schemas and schema stitching to merge custom GraphQL services into a single endpoint.
  • Container-friendly deployment with Docker and orchestration support for cloud/Kubernetes environments.

Use Cases

  • Rapidly expose an existing database as a secure, realtime GraphQL API for web and mobile apps.
  • Build event-driven pipelines by triggering functions or webhooks on database changes.
  • Compose data from multiple sources into a unified API for microservices and analytics.

Limitations and Considerations

  • Full feature parity depends on the connected data source; some advanced features vary by connector and database capabilities.
  • Operational behavior (performance, caching, realtime scalability) is influenced by the underlying datastore and deployment topology.

Hasura is designed to accelerate API development by automating schema-to-API creation and providing production-oriented features for access control, subscriptions, and eventing. It is commonly used to modernize data access, integrate heterogeneous data sources, and power realtime user experiences.

31.9kstars
2.9kforks
#3
DreamFactory

DreamFactory

DreamFactory generates secure, documented REST APIs for SQL/NoSQL databases and other services, with a web admin UI, authentication, and role-based access control.

DreamFactory screenshot

DreamFactory is an API generation platform that automatically creates REST APIs for databases and other data sources. It provides a web-based administration interface to configure connections, manage users, and secure endpoints without building a custom backend from scratch.

Key Features

  • Automatic REST API generation from database schemas
  • Supports a range of SQL and NoSQL backends (capabilities vary by edition)
  • Web-based admin console for configuration and management
  • Built-in authentication and authorization, including role-based access control
  • API key support and multiple auth methods (capabilities vary by edition)
  • Server-side scripting hooks to add custom business logic to requests and responses
  • Generates API definitions and documentation (OpenAPI support)

Use Cases

  • Create an API layer in front of legacy databases for modern web and mobile apps
  • Standardize access to multiple data sources through consistent REST endpoints
  • Rapidly prototype internal APIs with fine-grained access controls

Limitations and Considerations

  • The open-source edition has reduced functionality compared to commercial offerings (for example, some connectors and advanced security/governance features may be unavailable)

DreamFactory is a strong fit when you need a secure API middle layer quickly, especially for existing databases and legacy systems. It emphasizes rapid API delivery with centralized administration and policy-driven access control.

1.7kstars
343forks

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