Appwrite 1.6 trends for teams choosing PocketBase or Kuzzle

Appwrite 1.6 drives backend adoption

Appwrite 1.6 drives interest for teams looking for open-source backend platforms. The Appwrite 2.0 OpenAPI contains 1,022 operations across 44 services. The Project service allows for the management of all projects in an Appwrite server through 109 operations across 97 paths, while the Account service handles authentication and user account management with 73 operations across 47 paths. For data management, the TablesDB service allows users to create structured tables of columns and query lists of rows through 80 operations across 59 paths. The Databases service provides 70 operations across 51 paths to create structured collections of documents. For users needing similarity search, the VectorsDB service provides 35 operations across 17 paths. Appwrite also manages DocumentsDB with 36 operations across 18 paths. The Messaging service includes 46 operations across 39 paths to send messages to SMTP, push notification, or SMS providers. The Functions service allows for the management of Cloud Functions with 28 operations across 18 paths. Appwrite manages domains and DNS with 54 operations across 44 paths. The platform includes a WAF with 19 operations for project-level traffic control. The Organizations service manages organization billing, plans, invoices, and add-ons with 45 operations across 38 paths. The Users service manages project users with 45 operations across 35 paths. The Apps service handles OAuth2 applications, keys, secrets, scopes, and installations with 22 operations across 14 paths. The Storage service manages project files with 13 operations across 7 paths. The Console service provides 19 operations across 19 paths to interact with console relevant information.

Comparing PocketBase and Kuzzle

PocketBase is a backend solution that puts all essential backend features into one small file. This solution includes an embedded SQLite database with real-time updates, built-in user authentication, and a web-based admin panel. Developers interact with it using easy REST APIs or the official JavaScript and Dart libraries. It supports 15 login methods, such as email, password, Google, Facebook, and GitHub. PocketBase also allows for the management of collections and users through API rules. A user can define rules to restrict access to specific records, such as setting a rule where an owner field must match the logged-in user ID. It supports linking multiple owners and querying nested relation fields across multiple tables. One can query fields of non-directly related collections via the @collection.NAME.FIELD syntax. I find the single-file deployment very attractive for rapid prototyping. However, the SQLite foundation leads to specific limitations. One user reported that the process became unresponsive and would not serve any HTTP requests. The error logs for that instance showed "database is locked (5) (SQLITE_BUSY)" multiple times. Kuzzle is a different choice for industrial applications. Kuzzle provides Kuzzle PaaS, Kuzzle IoT, and Kuzzle Backend to assist businesses in optimizing operations. Kuzzle uses a team of French engineers to deliver applications based on the latest technologies. They provide solutions for industries like Smart City, Smart Industry, Smart Logistics, and Smart Building. I see Kuzzle as a stronger choice for teams building industrial IoT solutions rather than simple web apps.

Technical specifications for the decision

The decision depends on whether a team requires a multi-database environment or a single-file utility. I recommend Appwrite for teams that need more than just a simple database. Appwrite provides five database models in one project, including TablesDB, DocumentsDB, VectorsDB, PostgreSQL, and MySQL. This is an advantage over Firebase, which requires a separate PostgreSQL service via SQL Connect for relational data. Appwrite also handles file storage with an S3-compatible surface. The Appwrite Pro plan starts at $25 per month and includes a budget cap to prevent unexpected costs during scaling. This budget cap stops automatic scaling when usage reaches the chosen limit. You likely need to decide if you want a single-file solution or a multi-service platform. The Appwrite migration tool moves users, top-level Firestore collections, and storage files in the background without adding any additional usage to your monthly Appwrite Cloud bill, which provides a significant advantage for teams currently using Firebase. The tool supports modified scrypt hashes so users keep their existing passwords.

Appwrite handles real-time presence over WebSocket. This allows users to receive events for rows, files, function executions, sessions, and team changes. These events are filtered by queries on the server and checked against permissions. Does the ease of a single-file deployment like PocketBase justify the risk of database locking in high-concurrency environments?