For builders who want to own what they ship

Build your backend.
Own it on your server.

Database, API, sign-in and storage, ready in minutes. Deploy to a server you own in a few clicks, and we watch it, back it up every night and tell you the moment something breaks. Your code and your data stay yours.

$npm create crescodb@latest my-app

Prefer your own machine? This one command sets up the same project locally (Node 20). Or start from the dashboard.

Start building, free → See how it works
Listed on tools.cafe
$ npm create crescodb@latest shop -- --template store
installing CrescoDB…
✓ schema.cresco · cresco.db · store starter
✓ shop is ready.
REST API on :3000
Dashboard opened, connected to shop
$ cresco deploy --server web-1
✓ Live: https://shop.example.com
See it work
From an empty folder to a watched app
// schema.cresco
{ "name": "Order",
"fields": [
{ "name": "id", "type": "uuid", "primaryKey": true },
{ "name": "total", "type": "number", "required": true }
],
"access": { "read": ["authenticated"] } }
GET /orders · POST /orders · PATCH /orders/:id · DELETE /orders/:id
live as soon as you save. Filtering, paging and sign-in included.
What you get
Three jobs, one tool
Build

A working backend before your coffee cools

Describe your tables in the browser, or let the assistant draft them. You get the database, a REST API, sign-in with roles, file storage, realtime and a dashboard, saved to your account so you can pick it up on any device.

  • SQLite, PostgreSQL or MySQL behind the same schema
  • Starters that write real code you own: auth, blog, chat, payments, store, todo
  • Describe a table in plain English and the assistant drafts it for you to approve
  • Claude Code, Cursor or Codex can work on it through cresco mcp
Quickstart →
Deploy

On your server, in a few clicks

Connect any $5 server once, then deploy from the dashboard. CrescoDB builds your app there, moves your data across, gives it a free address and sets up HTTPS. Your code and data live with you, not with us.

  • A deploy that would expose personal data is refused, with the fix
  • The previous version stays on the server, so rollback works
  • We show you the DNS record to add, then check it
  • No git? Upload a .zip from the dashboard
  • Your data stays on your server
How deploys work →
Protect and monitor

Hear about problems before your users do

Your app reports how it is doing from the inside, with nothing to add. When something breaks you get one clear alert, by email, Slack or Telegram, that names what broke.

  • Nightly backups, restored into a scratch database to prove they work
  • The alert names the route that broke
  • CPU, memory and disk read off your server every five minutes
  • Uptime checks from outside, like a visitor
How monitoring works →
Under the hood
How the pieces fit
01

Build

Database, REST API, auth with roles, file storage and realtime, from one schema file.

02

Verify

An access audit reads your rules and refuses a deploy that would expose personal data.

03

Deploy

To a server you rent, over SSH. Docker, HTTPS and the DNS check handled.

04

Monitor

Routes watched from inside the app, the server under it, and the URL from outside.

05

Operate

Backups restored to prove they work, and rollback checked before you need it.

06

Own

cresco eject writes your code and data out as plain SQL. Stop paying and the app keeps running.

Build, Verify and Own run on your machine, free. Deploy and Monitor run through CrescoDB against the server you rent, with a free tier. Nightly backups are on paid plans.

Pricing
Free to build. Pay when it matters.

Everything on your own machine is free, with no card. You pay when an app holds something you would hate to lose.

Free
$0

Everything local, 1 app deployed to 1 server you own, and 3 uptime checks.

Pro
$20/mo

Nightly backups restored to prove they work, alerts that name what broke, uptime checks every minute.

Team
$45/seat

Shared servers and projects, so you are not the only one who can fix it, and an audit trail.

Enterprise
$185/mo

100 servers, 500 apps, 90 days of restore points and a named contact.

Compare plans →
Questions
Before you start

I have never set up a server. Can I still deploy?

Yes. Rent a $5 server from Hetzner, DigitalOcean or Vultr and paste one command into it. CrescoDB installs Docker, a locked-down deploy user, the reverse proxy and the HTTPS certificate. When you add a domain, we show you the record to paste and check it for you.

I don't write Node. Can I still use it?

Yes. Your app talks to the generated REST API over HTTP from any language. You only need Node to run the CLI.

Which database is underneath?

SQLite by default. Point CrescoDB at PostgreSQL or MySQL from day one if you will ship on one of them. The schema and the API stay the same.

What does the free plan let me do?

Everything on your own machine, with no card, plus one app deployed to one server. Nightly backups need a paid plan. Free alerts go by email, with 3 alert rules and 3 uptime checks.

What happens to my app if I stop paying?

It keeps running. Your database is on a server you rent and your code is in your repo. You lose the nightly backups and the alerting, not the app.

What does "backups restored to prove they work" mean?

Each night we take the snapshot, load it into a scratch database and check the tables are there. If the restore fails, you get an email that morning, while you still have older copies.

How CrescoDB compares with Supabase →
Build it today. Keep it for good.

Free to start, no card. Begin from the dashboard, or run the command below on your own machine.

$npm create crescodb@latest my-app
Start building, free →Read the guide