Skip to content
Browse docs

Quickstart

The short version of every Getting Started guide. Each bullet links to the page with the full detail.

Start

  • Sign up at the portal with Google — your first project is created for you.
  • Pick a plan on the Plan page. Free covers one PocketBase instance and frontend hosting; Pro adds backends and unlimited resources. Details in Projects.
  • Install the CLI and log in: curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/pocketbasecloud/cli/main/scripts/install.sh | sh, then pbc login.

Develop

  • On your machine: pbc local init in a new directory, then ./pocketbase serve — admin UI at http://127.0.0.1:8090/_/.
  • In the portal: deploy an instance and edit collections, API rules, and hooks in its admin panel.
  • Every schema change writes a migration into pb_migrations/; add server-side logic in pb_hooks/*.pb.js. See Local Development.

Deploy

  • One command: pbc deploy reads the directory and ships the matching kind.
  • Or name it: pbc pocketbase deploy, pbc frontend deploy, pbc backend deploy.
  • The project is picked at deploy time — the first deploy asks which one to use (your signup project is created for you); --project <id> answers without a prompt.
  • Each deploy prints the URL and the generated superuser login, and records the resource in pbc.json — after that, a bare redeploy needs no flags.
  • Deploy a PocketBase instance, a frontend, or a backend.