8base
Cloud platform as a service (PaaS) software
Application development platforms
Application development software
- Features
- Ease of use
- Ease of management
- Quality of support
- Affordability
- Market presence
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What is 8base
8base is a cloud-based application development platform that provides a managed backend (database, APIs, authentication, and serverless functions) for building web and mobile applications. It targets software teams and developers who want to accelerate delivery of data-driven apps without operating their own backend infrastructure. The platform centers on a GraphQL API layer over a hosted data model, with role-based access controls and extensibility via custom code and integrations.
Managed backend building blocks
8base provides hosted database capabilities, API generation, authentication, and file storage as a single managed service. This reduces the amount of infrastructure setup and ongoing operations required for typical CRUD-style applications. For teams that would otherwise assemble multiple services, it can shorten time to a working backend.
GraphQL-first API approach
The platform exposes application data primarily through GraphQL, which can simplify client development for web and mobile front ends. GraphQL enables clients to request only the fields they need and supports common patterns like pagination and filtering. This can be a good fit for teams standardizing on GraphQL across services.
Extensibility via serverless logic
8base supports custom business logic through functions/hooks that run in a serverless execution model. This allows teams to implement validations, workflows, and integrations without deploying a separate backend service. It also helps keep custom logic close to the data and API layer.
Platform lock-in considerations
Applications built around 8base’s data model, GraphQL schema conventions, and function runtime can be harder to migrate to a different stack. Exporting data is typically easier than reproducing platform-specific behavior such as permissions, hooks, and generated APIs. This can increase switching costs compared with more infrastructure-primitive approaches.
Not ideal for all workloads
8base is oriented toward transactional, data-driven application backends rather than specialized compute, streaming, or ML pipelines. Teams with heavy event processing, low-level networking needs, or highly customized runtime requirements may find the abstraction limiting. In those cases, a more general cloud compute or function service may fit better.
Governance and deployment constraints
As a managed platform, 8base constrains certain operational choices such as underlying database tuning, network topology, and environment isolation compared with self-managed deployments. Organizations with strict compliance, residency, or private networking requirements may need to validate whether available controls meet internal standards. Some advanced CI/CD and multi-environment promotion patterns may require additional process and tooling.
Plan & Pricing
| Plan | Price | Key features & notes |
|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 / mo. | Build backend web apps; Serverless functions; GraphQL API; CLI access; Community support. Limited capacity (examples shown on site: 2,500 DB rows, 0.5 GB file storage, 1 GB-hours serverless, 2 GB/mo bandwidth, up to 5 client app users). |
| Developer | $25 / mo. | "Build and deploy applications with the full power of our development tools." Shown as $25 / mo. Higher capacity and limits vs Free (examples on site: 500,000 DB rows, 50 GB file storage, 20 GB-hours serverless, 50 GB/mo bandwidth, up to 1,000,000 GraphQL API calls/mo, up to 1,000 client app users). |
| Professional | $50 per developer / mo. (Minimum 3 developers) | "Build as a team in a professional development environment." Includes CI/CD, role-based permissions, multiple database environments, larger capacity units (examples: 5,000,000 DB rows, 500 GB file storage, 200 GB-hours serverless, 500 GB/mo bandwidth, up to 10,000 client app users). |
| Enterprise | $75 per developer / mo. (Minimum 10 developers) | Enterprise-level features: volume discounts, additional development environments, advanced SQL access, upgrade computing environment, self-hosted option, SLAs, premium support. Capacity: "As much capacity as you need." Contact sales. |
Add-ons: Dedicated environments, SLAs, Self-hosted environments, Premium support, SOC II / HIPAA / GDPR compliance (available as add-ons, starting at Professional plan level).
Seller details
8base, Inc.
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https://www.8base.com/
https://x.com/8base
https://www.linkedin.com/company/8base/
