Used For

• +Serverless functions that actually work - write JavaScript that runs without managing containers or scaling configs
• +**Your React app needs user logins but setting up auth servers makes you want to quit** → Drop in their login components, users can sign up with Google in 5 minutes
• +**You're manually deploying database changes and something always breaks** → Push to Git, everything deploys automatically with zero downtime
• +**Your app needs real-time chat but WebSocket servers are a nightmare** → Their GraphQL subscriptions sync messages instantly across devices
• +Local development that mirrors production exactly - no more 'works on my machine' surprises

Best For

• >Frontend developers who cringe at the thought of configuring Postgres and authentication from scratch
• >Side projects stuck at 60% done because backend setup after work is soul-crushing
• >Small teams that tried self-hosting and got tired of 3am server alerts

Not For

• -Non-technical founders expecting a visual builder - you still need to write SQL queries and JavaScript code
• -Large teams with dedicated DevOps engineers who want full control over their infrastructure stack
• -Anyone avoiding vendor lock-in - you're tied to their specific way of doing GraphQL and authentication

Pairs With

• *Next.js (for the frontend that actually talks to users while Nhost handles the backend invisibly)
• *React (where you'll use their authentication hooks to show/hide content based on login status)
• *GitHub (pushes automatically deploy your backend changes without you touching servers)
• *Vercel (hosts your frontend while Nhost handles the API calls and database)
• *Flutter (for mobile apps that need the same backend data synced in real-time)
• *Hasura (the GraphQL engine running under the hood, though you barely interact with it directly)

The Catch

• !You'll spend time learning their permission system across database and file storage - it's not as simple as the tutorials make it look
• !The 'unlimited free access' has practical limits on storage and database operations that aren't clearly spelled out upfront
• !GraphQL queries need manual permission setup in their console, and the docs skip the details that cause access errors

Bottom Line

Turns weeks of backend setup into minutes, but you're still writing code - this isn't no-code magic.