Layer 5 · self-hosting reality check
What it actually takes to self-host NocoDB
The docs say 2 GB (with 2 vCPU and 10 GB disk). In practice you want 8 GB. That is the vendor's production specification, with 4 vCPU and 50 GB+ disk; its 2 GB minimum is for trying it out. Here is the honest version — real requirements, real monthly cost, what you will be maintaining, and the one thing that catches people out.
Usually reached from Airtable alternatives, where NocoDB is one of the picks.
Wondering whether you need to at all? Is Airtable free? — what the free tier actually allows, and where the wall is.
| RAM — documented minimum | 2 GB (with 2 vCPU and 10 GB disk) |
|---|---|
| RAM — what it really needs | 8 GB. That is the vendor's production specification, with 4 vCPU and 50 GB+ disk; its 2 GB minimum is for trying it out |
| CPU | 2 vCPU minimum, 4 vCPU for production (vendor) |
| Disk | 10 GB minimum, 50 GB+ for production (vendor). PostgreSQL grows with your records. Attachments grow in NocoDB's data volume, which is why the vendor's backup advice includes an attachment tarball. |
| Monthly cost | $24–48/mo on an 8 GB VPS. The installer runs PostgreSQL, Redis and Traefik on the same box, so nothing else is required |
| Setup time | 20 minutes with the install script and a domain ready; longer if you bring your own database |
| How you install it | The auto-upstall script (curl install.nocodb.com/noco.sh | bash) writes a docker compose with NocoDB, PostgreSQL, Redis and Traefik with Let's Encrypt HTTPS. A plain docker run defaults to SQLite |
| Ongoing maintenance | About two releases a month; run the bundled update.sh deliberately against a pinned tag. The vendor's minimum backup is a daily pg_dump plus a tarball of attachments, because everything lives in Docker volumes. |
| Where it stops scaling | One box with PostgreSQL covers a team. For thousands of concurrent users, NocoDB's own staff point to a Kubernetes deployment with an external database. |
The thing that catches people out
NocoDB is no longer open source. From version 0.301.0 it moved from AGPL-3.0 to the Sustainable Use License, a change dated January 2026. Running it inside your own company stays free. The licence page now forbids offering it as a hosted or managed service, giving external customers direct NocoDB access, reselling it, or embedding it where customers use NocoDB itself. An agency hosting bases for clients, or a SaaS that shows NocoDB to its users, now needs a commercial licence. Check the licence page against your use before you build on it. Pinning the last AGPL release keeps the old terms but cuts you off from every later fix.
When not to self-host NocoDB
You are an agency or SaaS that would put NocoDB in front of paying customers, which now needs a commercial licence. Also skip it if you need SAML SSO (from the $24-per-seat Business plan) or audit logs (from the $45-per-seat Scale plan). Baserow and Teable keep open-source core licences.
Every guide here carries this section. A site that only ever tells you to self-host is selling something — the useful answer is sometimes no.
Other Layer 5 self-hosting guides
- Self-hosting LibreOffice2 GB with a large spreadsheet open
- Self-hosting ONLYOFFICE6 GB for the Document Server with a handful of concurrent editors
- Self-hosting Collabora Online4 GB, and roughly 1 GB per 20 concurrent documents
- Self-hosting CryptPad2 GB for a small instance
- Self-hosting Mattermost4 GB for a team of 50 with PostgreSQL on the same box
- Self-hosting Rocket.Chat6 GB with MongoDB on the same machine
Common questions
- How much RAM does NocoDB actually need?
- 8 GB. That is the vendor's production specification, with 4 vCPU and 50 GB+ disk; its 2 GB minimum is for trying it out in practice. The documented minimum is 2 GB (with 2 vCPU and 10 GB disk), which is the figure at which the process starts rather than the figure at which it works under real use. 2 vCPU minimum, 4 vCPU for production (vendor) alongside it.
- What does self-hosting NocoDB cost per month?
- $24–48/mo on an 8 GB VPS. The installer runs PostgreSQL, Redis and Traefik on the same box, so nothing else is required This is commodity VPS pricing and excludes your time, which is the larger cost for most people — budget for about two releases a month; run the bundled update.sh deliberately against a pinned tag. The vendor's minimum backup is a daily pg_dump plus a tarball of attachments, because everything lives in Docker volumes.
- How long does it take to set up NocoDB?
- 20 minutes with the install script and a domain ready; longer if you bring your own database, via The auto-upstall script (curl install.nocodb.com/noco.sh | bash) writes a docker compose with NocoDB, PostgreSQL, Redis and Traefik with Let's Encrypt HTTPS. A plain docker run defaults to SQLite.
- When should I NOT self-host NocoDB?
- You are an agency or SaaS that would put NocoDB in front of paying customers, which now needs a commercial licence. Also skip it if you need SAML SSO (from the $24-per-seat Business plan) or audit logs (from the $45-per-seat Scale plan). Baserow and Teable keep open-source core licences.
- What is the most common mistake when self-hosting NocoDB?
- NocoDB is no longer open source. From version 0.301.0 it moved from AGPL-3.0 to the Sustainable Use License, a change dated January 2026. Running it inside your own company stays free. The licence page now forbids offering it as a hosted or managed service, giving external customers direct NocoDB access, reselling it, or embedding it where customers use NocoDB itself. An agency hosting bases for clients, or a SaaS that shows NocoDB to its users, now needs a commercial licence. Check the licence page against your use before you build on it. Pinning the last AGPL release keeps the old terms but cuts you off from every later fix.