Why self-host a no-code internal tool builder
SaaS no-code platforms are convenient until you hit the pricing wall: Retool charges per monthly active user, AppSmith limits collaborators on the free tier, and your CRM data sits on a third-party server. Self-hosting NocoBase inverts the model: unlimited users, unlimited collections, and your data stays in a PostgreSQL volume on your VPS — exportable at any time via the REST API. At ~800 MB RAM at idle, two Docker containers are all it takes.
What you get with a self-hosted NocoBase
- Data-model-first approach — define entities, fields and relations first, then build the UI on top. No spreadsheet-grid compromises.
- 80+ first-party plugins — Kanban, Gantt, calendar view, chart blocks, file manager, approval workflows and more — all installable from the plugin manager.
- Field-level permissions — control who can see, edit or delete each field per role, useful for hiding salary columns from managers or locking audit fields.
- REST API auto-generation — every collection you create gets a REST API with filtering, sorting, pagination and relation loading. Build mobile apps or webhooks on top without writing backend code.
- Multi-data-source support — connect external PostgreSQL, MySQL or MariaDB databases and surface their tables as NocoBase collections alongside your main store.
- Visual workflow engine — drag-and-drop automation with conditions, loops, HTTP requests and database triggers for approval chains or scheduled tasks.
- Apache-2.0 licence — no telemetry, no seat limits, no forced upgrades.
Prerequisites
- A ServOrbit VPS with at least 2 GB RAM and Ubuntu 24.04 (Docker is provisioned automatically).
- A domain name (optional for first access — NocoBase works fine on
http://your-vps-ip:13000for internal use). - 15 minutes of setup time.
Deploy NocoBase on your VPS
Order a ServOrbit VPS
A 2 vCPU / 2 GB RAM plan on Ubuntu 24.04 is ideal. NocoBase with PostgreSQL 16 idles under 800 MB RAM; 2 GB gives headroom for active plugin use and concurrent users. A 1 GB plan works for evaluation.
One-click deploy from the Marketplace
Open your ServOrbit control panel, go to Marketplace → Development → NocoBase, and click Deploy. AWX provisions Docker, generates a random APP_KEY and database password, writes the .env file and starts the app + postgres containers. The interface is accessible in about 30 seconds.
Create your admin account
Navigate to http://your-vps-ip:13000. The first-run wizard asks you to choose the system language, set your time zone and create the root admin account. Once logged in you land on the NocoBase dashboard — PostgreSQL is already configured and ready.
Build your first collection
Click Settings → Data Sources → Main → Collections → Create. Add fields: text, number, date, select, relation, rich text — NocoBase supports 20+ field types. Save, then click UI Configuration at the top right to drag a Table block and a Form block onto your first page. Your internal app is taking shape.
Set up roles and invite your team
Go to Settings → Users & Permissions → Roles. Create roles (e.g. Sales, Finance, Read-only) and assign field-level permissions per collection. Then invite users from Settings → Users. Each user sees only what their role allows — you can hide salary columns from managers or lock audit fields to read-only without writing any code.
Logging in for the first time
Open the URL and log in with the address [email protected] and the password provided, then change it from your profile.
Use case: self-hosted CRM for a Morocco-based agency
A digital agency tracking 40 client accounts in spreadsheets is losing context across projects. With NocoBase on a 2 GB ServOrbit VPS: create a Clients collection (name, sector, MRR, account manager), link it to a Projects collection (status, deadline, deliverables) and a Contacts collection (email, role, last interaction). The Kanban plugin turns the Projects collection into a pipeline view; the workflow engine sends an email to the account manager when a project moves to the Blocked status. Total setup time: under two hours. Monthly cost: the VPS plan — no per-seat SaaS fee.
Data backup and portability
NocoBase stores all metadata and content in the nocobase_db PostgreSQL volume. Back it up with docker compose exec postgres pg_dump -U nocobase nocobase > nocobase_backup.sql. User-uploaded files live in the nocobase_storage volume — copy the entire directory. Both volumes survive container restarts and image updates. To migrate to a new VPS, export both volumes and run docker compose up on the new host — your instance is portable without any vendor lock-in.
