Nhost is an open source Firebase alternative with GraphQL, built with the following things in mind:

• Open Source
• GraphQL
• SQL
• Great Developer Experience

Nhost consists of open source software:

• Database: PostgreSQL
• Instant GraphQL API: Hasura
• Authentication: Auth
• Storage: Storage
• Serverless Functions: Node.js (JavaScript and TypeScript)
• Nhost CLI for local development
• MCP server built into the CLI, for AI coding assistants

Architecture of Nhost

Visit https://docs.nhost.io for the complete documentation.

Get Started

Option 1: Nhost Hosted Platform

1. Sign in to Nhost.
2. Create Nhost app.
3. Done.

Option 2: Local Development (CLI)

The Nhost CLI is the easiest way to start developing locally. It sets up a local environment that tracks database migrations and Hasura metadata.

Install the CLI:

• macOS / Linux: brew install nhost/tap/nhost or curl -sSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/nhost/nhost/main/cli/get.sh | bash
• Nix: nix profile install github:nhost/nhost#cli
• npm / pnpm / Yarn / Bun: npm install -D @nhost/cli, pnpm add -D @nhost/cli, yarn add -D @nhost/cli, or bun add -d @nhost/cli

Start building:

nhost login
nhost init
nhost up

Read the full CLI Quickstart guide.

Connect your AI assistant (MCP):

The CLI ships with a Model Context Protocol (MCP) server. Your assistant can read the GraphQL schema, run the queries and mutations you allow, update Nhost Cloud project configuration, search the Nhost docs, and in local development manage metadata, permissions, and migrations. Works with Claude Code, Codex, Gemini CLI, Cursor, and other MCP clients.

claude mcp add nhost nhost mcp start

See the MCP Server docs for other clients and access settings.

Option 3: Self-hosting

Since Nhost is 100% open source, you can self-host the whole Nhost stack. Check out the example docker-compose file to self-host Nhost.

Sign In and Make a GraphQL Request

Install the @nhost/nhost-js package and start building your app:

import { createClient } from '@nhost/nhost-js'

const nhost = createClient({
  subdomain: 'your-project',
  region: 'eu-central-1'
})

await nhost.auth.signInEmailPassword({
  email: 'user@example.com',
  password: '<password>'
})

await nhost.graphql.request({
  query: `
    query GetUsers {
      users {
        id
        displayName
        email
      }
    }
  `
})

Frontend Agnostic

Nhost is frontend agnostic, which means Nhost works with all frontend frameworks.

Resources

• Start developing locally with the Nhost CLI
• Connect AI assistants to your projects with the Nhost MCP server

Nhost Clients

• JavaScript/TypeScript
• Dart and Flutter

Applications

• Dashboard
• Docs

Community ❤️

First and foremost: Star and watch this repository to stay up-to-date.

Also, follow Nhost on GitHub Discussions, our Blog, and on X. You can chat with the team and other members on Discord and follow our tutorials and other video material at YouTube.

Nhost is Open Source

This repository, and most of our other open source projects, are licensed under the MIT license.

How to contribute

Here are some ways of contributing to making Nhost better:

• Try out Nhost, and think of ways to make the service better. Let us know here on GitHub.
• Join our Discord and connect with other members to share and learn from.
• Send a pull request to any of our open source repositories on Github. Check out our contribution guide for more details about how to contribute. We're looking forward to your contribution!

Contributors