Overview
Appwrite is a self-hosted, open-source Backend-as-a-Service (BaaS) platform that provides developers with a complete set of APIs and SDKs for building modern web and mobile applications. Positioned as an open-source alternative to Firebase, Supabase, and AWS Amplify, Appwrite delivers authentication, databases, file storage, serverless functions, and real-time subscriptions through a unified platform that can be entirely self-hosted on your infrastructure.
At its architectural core, Appwrite is built with security, privacy, and developer experience as primary design goals. The platform runs as a containerized microservices architecture using Docker, with each service handling specific functionality like authentication, database operations, file storage, or function execution. This modular design enables selective scaling of services based on application workload and resource requirements.
Appwrite's authentication system supports 30+ OAuth providers including Google, GitHub, Apple, Microsoft, and Twitter, alongside traditional email/password authentication, magic URL login, anonymous sessions, and phone authentication with SMS. Built-in user management includes session handling, account verification, password recovery, and team-based access control, eliminating thousands of lines of boilerplate auth code from applications.
The database service provides a NoSQL document database with relational capabilities through collections, attributes, and relationships. Unlike traditional NoSQL databases, Appwrite enforces schema validation and supports complex queries with filtering, sorting, pagination, and full-text search. Real-time subscriptions enable applications to receive instant updates when data changes, perfect for collaborative applications, live dashboards, and chat features.
For VPS hosting environments, self-hosting Appwrite provides complete control over user data, compliance with data residency regulations, and elimination of per-user or per-request pricing typical of managed BaaS providers. Organizations can customize the platform, integrate with existing infrastructure, and avoid vendor lock-in while maintaining compatibility with Appwrite's client SDKs.
Appwrite's file storage system handles user uploads with automatic image transformations, compression, and optimization. Support for multiple storage adapters enables flexibility between local filesystem storage, S3-compatible object storage, and other cloud storage providers. Built-in antivirus scanning protects applications from malicious file uploads.
The serverless functions runtime supports Node.js, Python, Ruby, PHP, Dart, and other languages, enabling custom business logic execution without managing server infrastructure. Functions can be triggered by HTTP requests, scheduled cron jobs, or database events, providing a flexible foundation for background jobs, webhooks, and API extensions.
Appwrite's developer experience is exceptional, with SDKs for Web, Flutter, iOS, Android, and server-side languages, comprehensive REST and GraphQL APIs, built-in API documentation and playground, and a beautiful admin console for managing users, databases, storage, and functions. CLI tools enable scriptable deployments and migrations for DevOps integration.
Common Use Cases
- **Mobile and Web App Backends**: Build authentication, data storage, and file management for mobile and web applications without backend code or infrastructure management
- **SaaS Application Backends**: Deploy multi-tenant SaaS platforms with user management, team collaboration, and data isolation using Appwrite teams and permissions
- **Real-Time Collaborative Apps**: Build chat applications, collaborative editors, live dashboards, and multiplayer experiences using real-time database subscriptions
- **User-Generated Content Platforms**: Handle file uploads, image transformations, content moderation, and storage for social media, forums, and community platforms
- **API Gateway and Microservices**: Use serverless functions to build custom API endpoints, integrate third-party services, and implement business logic behind secure APIs
- **Internal Developer Platforms**: Provide development teams with standardized backend services, authentication, and database access for rapid application prototyping
Installation Guide
Install Appwrite on Ubuntu VPS using the official one-line installation script that handles Docker setup and configuration automatically. Run installation script which downloads Docker Compose configuration and prompts for domain, email, and initial passwords.
The installation creates Appwrite containers including API server, MariaDB database, Redis cache, InfluxDB for analytics, and worker containers for handling background tasks. Configure environment variables in .env file for custom domains, SMTP settings, storage adapters, and function runtimes.
Access Appwrite console at configured domain to create first project, configure authentication providers, set up database collections, and deploy serverless functions. Configure SSL certificates using Let's Encrypt integration built into the installation script for automatic HTTPS setup.
For production deployments, configure external MariaDB and Redis instances for better performance and data persistence. Set up S3-compatible storage (AWS S3, MinIO, DigitalOcean Spaces) for file storage instead of local filesystem for better scalability. Configure backup strategies for MariaDB database and uploaded files.
Enable custom SMTP server for sending authentication emails, password resets, and notifications. Configure function runtimes by enabling specific language runtimes needed for your functions (Node.js, Python, etc.) to reduce resource consumption. Set up monitoring using InfluxDB metrics and Grafana dashboards for observability.
Configuration Tips
Appwrite configuration is managed through environment variables in .env file and docker-compose.yml. Configure _APP_DOMAIN for custom domain, _APP_OPENSSL_KEY_V1 for encryption, and _APP_DB_* variables for database connection settings. Set _APP_SMTP_* variables for email configuration and _APP_STORAGE_* for storage adapter selection.
Configure authentication providers in console by adding OAuth app credentials for Google, GitHub, etc. Set up custom SMTP server for transactional emails, enable email verification requirements, configure password policies, and set session duration limits for security.
Database collections support attribute-level permissions, required fields, default values, and index creation for query optimization. Configure real-time subscriptions by enabling channels for specific collections and documents. Set up storage buckets with file size limits, allowed extensions, encryption, and antivirus scanning.
Best practices include running Appwrite behind reverse proxy for advanced routing and caching, configuring resource limits in docker-compose.yml for containers, enabling database query logging for debugging, setting up automated backups for MariaDB and file storage, implementing network policies to isolate database from public internet, using secrets management for API keys and credentials, monitoring container resource usage and scaling workers for high-load scenarios. Enable audit logs for tracking API usage and user actions in security-sensitive applications.