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FastYoke vs PocketBase

PocketBase is an open-source backend in a single file. FastYoke is also a single binary — but a multi-tenant operational platform, with workflow, RBAC, and audit built in. Same single-file appeal, different scope.

What PocketBase is good for

The simplest possible start. One executable, no dependencies, no Docker, no account. Download it, run it, and you have a database, auth, file storage, realtime, and an admin UI in under a minute. For a solo app or a prototype, nothing is faster.
Genuinely open source. MIT-licensed and self-contained. You can read every line, fork it, and run it forever on a server you own with no vendor in the loop.
A clean embedded backend. A well-designed schema builder, REST API, OAuth2 providers, and S3-compatible file storage, extensible with Go or JavaScript hooks. An excellent foundation when you're bringing your own frontend.

What FastYoke is good for

Multi-tenant by architecture. Every tenant gets its own database file, isolated at the OS layer. PocketBase is one app on one SQLite file with a single writer — multi-tenant SaaS is a project you'd build on top of it.
The platform ships, not just the backend. A strict FSM workflow engine, a granular RBAC catalog with custom roles and a role-change audit ledger, and an append-only event log — all in the base product. In PocketBase these are code you write in hooks.
Same engine from laptop to air-gap. The light npx runtime for local dev, the full self-hosted engine (Docker or air-gapped On-Prem with no outbound), and managed cloud all speak one wire contract. Build locally, deploy anywhere, unchanged.

Head-to-head

Eight dimensions that distinguish the two products. Verdicts are one sentence each — read the rows, judge for yourself.

When to choose which

Choose PocketBase when…

you're building a single app and bringing your own frontend
you want the absolute simplest local and self-host story
an MIT-licensed backend you fully own is a hard requirement
one tenant, one database is all you need
you're happy to write business logic in Go or JS hooks

Choose FastYoke when…

you're shipping a multi-tenant platform, not a single app
workflow, RBAC, and audit need to be built in, not hand-rolled
a structured FSM is the shape of your business logic
tenant isolation has to be mechanical, not conventional
you want the same engine from local dev to an air-gapped deployment

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Dimension	PocketBase	FastYoke
Primary use case	Open-source backend-as-a-service in a single file — auth, database, file storage, realtime, and an admin UI for one app whose frontend you build yourself.	Multi-tenant operational platform — FSM workflow, RBAC, and an audit ledger ship with the app surface, not just the backend.
Local runtime / dev loop	Download one binary and run it — arguably the simplest local start there is. SQLite on disk, admin UI at localhost, no Docker.	`npx fastyoke init` runs the light engine — FSM, entities, public forms, realtime, and the append-only event log on a local SQLite file, no Docker or account. Same wire contract as production.
Self-host & deployment	Copy the single binary to a server and run it. No official hosted cloud; third-party hosts exist.	Same single-binary simplicity, plus a fully air-gapped On-Prem mode with literally no outbound traffic, or a managed multi-node cloud — your app moves between all three unchanged.
Multi-tenancy	One application, one SQLite file, single writer. Multi-tenant SaaS is something you architect yourself on top.	A database file per tenant, isolation enforced at the operating-system layer — wrong-tenant access is mechanically impossible, not a filter you must remember to add.
Permissions / RBAC	Collection-level API rules you write per collection, plus an admin account. No built-in role catalog or role-change audit.	A granular permission catalog with system and custom roles and an append-only role-change audit ledger — shipped on every tier.
Audit	No built-in audit ledger — you log changes yourself if you need them.	An append-only event log (no UPDATE, no DELETE) on every record, plus ed25519 sealed-PDF evidence any auditor can verify at a public endpoint.
Workflow primitive	None built in — business logic lives in Go or JavaScript hooks you write and compile into the binary.	A strict FSM engine — guards, transitions, self-loops, and an admin override — with every transition appended to the event ledger.
Pricing / license	Free and MIT-licensed; you pay only for the server you run it on. Still pre-1.0 (v0.x). Per pocketbase.io, August 2026.	Every app is free; you pay for the platform above a hard-capped free tier — metered by transitions, storage, and egress with a spend cap you set. Enterprise Platform covers air-gap and custom needs. Per fastyoke.io/pricing, August 2026.