cloudparts

8baseDormant

A hosted backend on AWS that generates a GraphQL API from the tables you define, backed by Aurora MySQL, with roles, authentication, file storage and custom functions on Lambda.

What it is
Backend as a service (BaaS)
Used for
Relational databases
Type
Commercial product
Made by
8base, Inc.
License
Proprietary
Status
Dormant. Still sold, but its public SDK, CLI and docs repositories have had no commits since April 2024 and its blog no posts since August 2024.
Facts checked
24 October 2026
Website

What it is

In 8base you define tables, fields and relations in a workspace, and the platform keeps them in a managed Aurora MySQL database on AWS and generates a GraphQL API for them. The API offers create, read, update and delete for every table, with filtering, sorting, pagination, full-text search, grouping and aggregations, plus subscriptions for real-time updates. Roles and permissions decide what each user and API token may do, and file uploads and user management are built in.

Logic you write runs as serverless functions on AWS Lambda, in JavaScript or TypeScript, in four kinds: resolvers that add custom GraphQL operations, triggers that run on database events, scheduled or on-demand tasks, and webhooks. A command-line tool scaffolds and deploys them. Next to the backend, 8base sells a low-code App Builder for React front ends, hosted on S3 and CloudFront, and Archie, an AI tool that turns a product idea into specifications and an architecture.

Plans run from a free tier, with 2,500 database rows and 100,000 API calls a month for one developer, to per-developer Professional and Enterprise plans; Enterprise adds a self-hosted option, SLAs and SOC 2 and HIPAA compliance. The company has been quiet since 2024: its public repositories, including the CLI and the JavaScript and React SDKs, last changed in early 2024.

Why teams pick it

  • A typed GraphQL API with filters, aggregations and subscriptions, generated from the data model
  • A relational database (Aurora MySQL) underneath, rather than a document store
  • Custom logic as resolvers, triggers, tasks and webhooks without running servers
  • A self-hosted option and compliance support on the Enterprise plan

Watch out for

  • Little visible development since 2024, so check the company’s commitment before building on it
  • Proprietary and AWS-only, with the API, functions and permissions tied to 8base’s platform
  • A small free tier (2,500 rows, one team member, 5 app users) and per-developer pricing on paid plans

Specs

Compare with alternatives →
Data model
Relational tables in managed Aurora MySQL
Query language
Generated GraphQL API with filters, aggregations and subscriptions
Ways to run it
Hosted on AWS; self-hosted option on the Enterprise plan
Pricing model
Free tier (2,500 rows, 100,000 API calls a month), then per developer

Alternatives

What all backend as a service (baas) have in common →Compare side by side →
SupabaseCommercialA backend built around one dedicated Postgres database per project, with a REST API generated from its schema, JWT auth, file storage, realtime updates and edge functions, all assembled from open-source parts you can also self-host.Hasura GraphQL EngineOpen sourceHasura’s open-source v2 engine: point it at Postgres or another supported database and it serves a GraphQL API with queries, mutations and live subscriptions, guarded by role-based row and column permissions.Hasura DDNCommercialHasura Data Delivery Network: you describe models, commands, relationships and permissions as metadata, and a Rust engine serves them as one GraphQL (or JSON:API) API over databases and code reached through data connectors.

How it fits with other technologies

See it in a real stack

No architecture uses 8base yet. Drop it into the playground and wire it up yourself.Open playground →
Where it came from2018–2024

Albert Santalo, an engineer and founder of earlier SaaS companies, started 8base to take the backend work out of building business software: hosting, a database, an API and authentication. The platform entered beta in late 2018 and moved to general availability in July 2019, announcing it at TechCrunch Disrupt that October as a “SaaS focused backend-as-a-service”.

The July 2019 release added OpenID sign-in next to 8base’s own authentication and Auth0, finer workspace permissions, GraphQL filters and views, and function-to-function calls. Later the company added a low-code front-end builder and Archie, an AI product architect. Public development activity has been sparse since early 2024.

Why it’s built this way

GraphQL generated from the schema
A typed API with filters and relations comes for free from the tables, so front ends can fetch exactly the fields they need without a hand-written API layer.
A relational database underneath
Business apps have related records and need aggregations, which a relational database such as Aurora MySQL handles well.
Serverless functions for custom logic
Resolvers, triggers, tasks and webhooks on Lambda let teams extend the generated API without running servers.

Timeline

  1. 2018

    Beta begins late in the year

  2. 2019

    General availability in July; launched at TechCrunch Disrupt in October

  3. 2024

    Last public commits to the SDK, CLI and docs repositories

Sources6 · facts checked 24 October 2026

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