Deploying Baserow

Baserow is an open-source, no-code database platform that combines the simplicity of a spreadsheet with the power of a relational database. Often called the best open-source alternative to Airtable, Baserow enables you to build databases, create automations, develop internal applications, and deploy AI agents—all without writing code.

Why Baserow?

Baserow stands out in the no-code database landscape with its powerful feature set:

• Spreadsheet-Like Interface: Intuitive UI that feels familiar while offering database power
• Application Builder: Create custom internal tools, portals, and applications
• Automation Engine: Build workflows to automate repetitive tasks
• AI Integration: Built-in AI assistant (Kuma) for creating solutions with natural language
• Dashboards: Visualize your data with customizable dashboards
• Multiple Views: Grid, Gallery, Kanban, Calendar, and Form views
• Real-time Collaboration: Work together with your team in real-time
• REST & GraphQL APIs: Headless and API-first architecture
• Self-Hosted Control: Full data ownership with no vendor lock-in
• Enterprise Ready: GDPR, HIPAA, and SOC 2 Type II compliant

With over 3,400 GitHub stars and trusted by 150,000+ users, Baserow has established itself as the leading open-source no-code database platform.

Deployment Options

Baserow offers an all-in-one Docker image (baserow/baserow) that bundles all required services:

• Backend API Server (Django/Python)
• Web Frontend (Vue.js)
• Internal PostgreSQL database
• Internal Redis server
• Caddy reverse proxy

All-in-One Simplicity

The baserow/baserow image is designed for simple single-server deployments. It runs all services in a single container and automatically manages the embedded database and Redis unless you configure external services.

Prerequisites

Before deploying Baserow, ensure you have:

• A Klutch.sh account
• Optionally, an external PostgreSQL database for production use (see our PostgreSQL guide)
• Optionally, an external Redis instance for production use (see our Redis guide)

Deploying Baserow

1. Create a New Project

   Log in to your Klutch.sh dashboard at klutch.sh/app and create a new project for your Baserow deployment.

2. Create a New App

   Create a new app within your project using the following Docker image from Docker Hub:

   baserow/baserow:2.0.2

   This all-in-one image includes the complete Baserow stack with embedded PostgreSQL and Redis.

3. Configure Environment Variables

   Set up the following essential environment variables:

   Variable	Description	Example
   BASEROW_PUBLIC_URL	The public URL for your Baserow instance	https://baserow.example-app.klutch.sh
   SECRET_KEY	Django secret key for cryptographic signing	Generate a secure random string (32+ characters)

   Important: BASEROW_PUBLIC_URL

   The BASEROW_PUBLIC_URL must match exactly how users will access Baserow in their browser, including the protocol (https://). If this doesn’t match, you may experience authentication issues.

   Optional Configuration Variables

   Variable	Description	Default
   BASEROW_AMOUNT_OF_GUNICORN_WORKERS	Number of API worker processes	Auto (based on CPU)
   BASEROW_AMOUNT_OF_WORKERS	Number of background task workers	1
   MIGRATE_ON_STARTUP	Auto-apply database migrations	true
   BASEROW_TRIGGER_SYNC_TEMPLATES_AFTER_MIGRATION	Sync templates after migration	true

4. Configure Persistent Storage

   Baserow stores all data in the /baserow/data directory. Add a persistent volume to ensure your data survives container restarts:

   Mount Path	Recommended Size
   /baserow/data	10GB (minimum, scale based on expected data)

   This volume stores:

   • PostgreSQL database files
   • Redis data
   • User-uploaded files
   • Auto-generated secrets
   • Caddy certificates and configuration

5. Set Network Configuration

   Configure your app to use HTTP traffic on port 80.

   Baserow’s internal Caddy reverse proxy listens on port 80 and handles routing to all internal services.

6. Deploy Your App

   Click Deploy to start your Baserow instance. The initial deployment may take several minutes as Baserow:

   • Initializes the PostgreSQL database
   • Runs database migrations
   • Syncs template databases
   • Starts all services

   Watch the logs for the message: Baserow is now available at...

Post-Deployment Setup

Creating Your First Account

Once Baserow is running:

1. Navigate to your Baserow URL (e.g., https://baserow.example-app.klutch.sh)
2. Click Sign Up to create your first admin account
3. Enter your email and password
4. You’ll be taken to the dashboard where you can create your first database

Creating Your First Database

1. Click Create new in the sidebar
2. Select Database (or start from a template)
3. Give your database a name
4. Add tables and fields using the intuitive interface

Production Configuration

For production deployments, we recommend using external PostgreSQL and Redis services for better reliability and performance.

Using External PostgreSQL

Deploy a PostgreSQL instance using our PostgreSQL guide, then configure Baserow:

Variable	Description	Example
DATABASE_HOST	PostgreSQL hostname	your-postgres-app
DATABASE_PORT	PostgreSQL port	5432
DATABASE_NAME	Database name	baserow
DATABASE_USER	Database username	baserow
DATABASE_PASSWORD	Database password	your-secure-password

Or use a connection string:

Variable	Example
DATABASE_URL	postgresql://baserow:password@host:5432/baserow

Using External Redis

Deploy a Redis instance using our Redis guide, then configure:

Variable	Description	Example
REDIS_HOST	Redis hostname	your-redis-app
REDIS_PORT	Redis port	6379
REDIS_PASSWORD	Redis password (if set)	your-redis-password
REDIS_PROTOCOL	Connection protocol	redis or rediss

Or use a connection string:

Variable	Example
REDIS_URL	redis://:password@host:6379

External Services

When using external PostgreSQL and/or Redis, the embedded services are automatically disabled. You should still mount the /baserow/data volume for user-uploaded files.

Email Configuration

To enable email notifications, password resets, and user invitations:

Variable	Description	Example
EMAIL_SMTP	Enable SMTP (set to any non-empty value)	true
EMAIL_SMTP_HOST	SMTP server hostname	smtp.example.com
EMAIL_SMTP_PORT	SMTP port	587
EMAIL_SMTP_USER	SMTP username	your-smtp-user
EMAIL_SMTP_PASSWORD	SMTP password	your-smtp-password
EMAIL_SMTP_USE_TLS	Use TLS encryption	true
FROM_EMAIL	Sender email address	noreply@example.com

AI Integration

Baserow supports various AI providers for the AI field type and AI assistant features:

OpenAI Configuration

Variable	Description
BASEROW_OPENAI_API_KEY	Your OpenAI API key
BASEROW_OPENAI_MODELS	Comma-separated list of models (e.g., gpt-3.5-turbo,gpt-4-turbo-preview)

Anthropic Configuration

Variable	Description
BASEROW_ANTHROPIC_API_KEY	Your Anthropic API key
BASEROW_ANTHROPIC_MODELS	Comma-separated list of models (e.g., claude-3-5-sonnet-20241022)

Ollama Configuration (Self-hosted)

Variable	Description
BASEROW_OLLAMA_HOST	Your Ollama server URL
BASEROW_OLLAMA_MODELS	Comma-separated list of models (e.g., llama2)

File Storage Options

By default, Baserow stores uploaded files in /baserow/data/media. For production deployments with horizontal scaling, consider using external storage:

AWS S3

Variable	Description
AWS_ACCESS_KEY_ID	AWS access key
AWS_SECRET_ACCESS_KEY	AWS secret key
AWS_STORAGE_BUCKET_NAME	S3 bucket name
AWS_S3_REGION_NAME	AWS region (e.g., us-east-1)
AWS_S3_ENDPOINT_URL	Custom endpoint for S3-compatible services

Google Cloud Storage

Variable	Description
GS_BUCKET_NAME	GCS bucket name
GS_CREDENTIALS_FILE_PATH	Path to service account JSON file

Sample Docker Compose for Local Development

For local development and testing before deploying to Klutch.sh:

version: '3.8'

services:
  baserow:
    image: baserow/baserow:2.0.2
    environment:
      - BASEROW_PUBLIC_URL=http://localhost
    ports:
      - "80:80"
      - "443:443"
    volumes:
      - baserow_data:/baserow/data
    restart: unless-stopped

volumes:
  baserow_data:

Save as docker-compose.yml and run:

docker-compose up -d

Access Baserow at http://localhost and create your first account.

Development with External Database

version: '3.8'

services:
  baserow:
    image: baserow/baserow:2.0.2
    environment:
      - BASEROW_PUBLIC_URL=http://localhost
      - DATABASE_HOST=postgres
      - DATABASE_PORT=5432
      - DATABASE_NAME=baserow
      - DATABASE_USER=baserow
      - DATABASE_PASSWORD=baserow
      - REDIS_HOST=redis
    ports:
      - "80:80"
    volumes:
      - baserow_data:/baserow/data
    depends_on:
      postgres:
        condition: service_healthy
      redis:
        condition: service_started

  postgres:
    image: postgres:15
    environment:
      - POSTGRES_USER=baserow
      - POSTGRES_PASSWORD=baserow
      - POSTGRES_DB=baserow
    volumes:
      - postgres_data:/var/lib/postgresql/data
    healthcheck:
      test: ["CMD-SHELL", "pg_isready -U baserow"]
      interval: 10s
      timeout: 5s
      retries: 5

  redis:
    image: redis:7
    volumes:
      - redis_data:/data

volumes:
  baserow_data:
  postgres_data:
  redis_data:

Upgrading Baserow

To upgrade your Baserow deployment:

1. Back up your data (especially if using the embedded database)
2. Update the Docker image tag to the new version
3. Redeploy your app

Baserow automatically runs database migrations on startup when MIGRATE_ON_STARTUP=true.

Backup Before Upgrading

Always backup your /baserow/data volume before upgrading. For production systems using external PostgreSQL, also backup your database using pg_dump.

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

“Site can’t be reached” or authentication loops

• Ensure BASEROW_PUBLIC_URL exactly matches the URL in your browser, including protocol and port

Slow startup

• Initial startup can take several minutes while Baserow initializes the database and syncs templates
• Check logs for progress

Database connection errors

• Verify your external database credentials
• Ensure the database server is accessible from your Baserow container

File upload issues

• Verify the /baserow/data volume is properly mounted
• Check volume permissions (should be owned by UID/GID 9999)

Additional Resources

• Baserow Documentation - Official documentation
• Baserow GitHub Repository - Source code and issue tracking
• Baserow API Documentation - REST API reference
• Baserow Community - Community forum
• Baserow Templates - Pre-built database templates