FAQ

FAQ

Contents

• What is ɳSelf?
• Is ɳSelf free?
• What is the difference between free and Pro plugins?
• Can I run multiple ɳSelf projects on one server?
• How does ɳSelf compare to Supabase or Nhost?
• Does ɳSelf require Docker?
• What ports does ɳSelf use?
• How do I update ɳSelf?
• How do I back up my data?
• Where are config files stored?
• How do I add a custom service?
• Does ɳSelf support ARM / Apple Silicon?
• How do I reset the Hasura admin password?
• Can I use ɳSelf in CI/CD?
• How do I report a security issue?
• How do I contribute a plugin?

What is ɳSelf?

ɳSelf is an open-source CLI that spins up a complete self-hosted backend stack, PostgreSQL, Hasura GraphQL, Auth, and Nginx, in five minutes. You run it on your own server or local machine; there is no cloud dependency.

Is ɳSelf free?

Yes. The core CLI and 25 free plugins are MIT licensed and free forever, including commercial use. Revenue comes from 62 paid Pro plugins starting at $9.99/year.

What is the difference between free and Pro plugins?

Free plugins (25) handle foundational use cases: monitoring, backup, cron, search, notifications, and more. Pro plugins (52) add advanced capabilities: AI, live video (LiveKit), commerce, CMS, SSO/SAML, media transcoding, DRM, WAF, and more. Pro plugins require a license key from nself.org.

Can I run multiple ɳSelf projects on one server?

Yes. Each project runs in its own Docker network and uses a different BASE_DOMAIN. Run nself init in separate directories, each with a unique PROJECT_NAME and BASE_DOMAIN, and start them independently.

How does ɳSelf compare to Supabase or Nhost?

ɳSelf gives you the same Postgres + Hasura + Auth stack as Supabase/Nhost, but self-hosted on your infrastructure with no vendor lock-in. You own your data, choose your server, and pay nothing per row or API call. The tradeoff is that you manage your own server.

Does ɳSelf require Docker?

Yes. Docker 24+ with Docker Compose v2 is required. ɳSelf generates and manages a docker-compose.yml for your stack.

What ports does ɳSelf use?

Nginx binds to ports 80 and 443. All internal services bind to 127.0.0.1 only and are not directly exposed. Admin UI runs on localhost:3021.

How do I update ɳSelf?

nself update

This checks for a newer CLI binary and a newer admin Docker image and installs them. Use nself update --check to check without installing.

How do I back up my data?

nself db backup

Creates a pg_dump file with a timestamped name. Store it off-server. Restore with nself db restore /path/to/backup.sql.

Where are config files stored?

Project config lives in .env in your project directory. The CLI state and license key are stored in ~/.nself/. Generated files (docker-compose.yml, nginx configs, SSL certs) are created inside your project directory.

How do I add a custom service?

Define CS_1 through CS_10 in your .env. Choose from 40+ templates or bring your own Docker image.

CS_1=api:fastapi:3001

Then run nself build && nself restart.

Does ɳSelf support ARM / Apple Silicon?

Yes. Binaries are published for linux/amd64, linux/arm64, darwin/amd64, and darwin/arm64. All base Docker images used by ɳSelf support ARM64.

How do I reset the Hasura admin password?

The Hasura admin secret is stored as HASURA_GRAPHQL_ADMIN_SECRET in your .env. Change it there, then run nself build && nself restart. Hasura picks up the new value on restart.

Can I use ɳSelf in CI/CD?

Yes. Use --non-interactive and --quiet flags for CI:

nself init --non-interactive --name myapp
nself build -q
nself start --skip-health-checks --quick

How do I report a security issue?

Email security@nself.org or open a private advisory on GitHub. Do not file public issues for security vulnerabilities. See Security-Policy for full details.

How do I contribute a plugin?

Read Plugin-Dev-Guide for the plugin SDK and submission process. Free plugins are accepted via pull request to the nself-org/plugins repository. Pro plugins are reviewed privately.

---

← Home | _Sidebar