What is this?
Budibase is an open-source operations platform where you build AI agents, automations and web apps that handle everyday operations — requests, approvals, issues — in one place.
Budibase is an open-source operations platform where you build AI agents, automations and web apps that handle everyday operations — requests, approvals, issues — in one place.Is it an app builder, an automation tool, or an AI product?All three on one platform: a low-code builder for apps, an automation engine, and AI agents — so you handle requests, workflows and processes without stitching together multiple tools.
All three on one platform: a low-code builder for apps, an automation engine, and AI agents — so you handle requests, workflows and processes without stitching together multiple tools.How do I get it running?Self-host via Docker (a single ARM-compatible image), Docker Compose, Kubernetes, Digital Ocean or Portainer — or skip hosting entirely and start quickly on Budibase Cloud.
Self-host via Docker (a single ARM-compatible image), Docker Compose, Kubernetes, Digital Ocean or Portainer — or skip hosting entirely and start quickly on Budibase Cloud.Do I need anything besides Docker?No — containers are enough for normal use. You only need Node.js 22.x and yarn if you want to build it from source, since the repo is a Lerna monorepo with a one-command setup script.
No — containers are enough for normal use. You only need Node.js 22.x and yarn if you want to build it from source, since the repo is a Lerna monorepo with a one-command setup script.Do the agents just answer questions, or do they actually do things?They take action: agents run workflows across your business — creating records, routing approvals, updating apps and notifying teams automatically.
They take action: agents run workflows across your business — creating records, routing approvals, updating apps and notifying teams automatically.Can it plug into the databases and tools my company already uses?Yes — it integrates with databases, AI models and business apps, so agents and automations can take action across your existing systems.
Yes — it integrates with databases, AI models and business apps, so agents and automations can take action across your existing systems.Can I automate it or build on top of it from my own code?Yes. The Budibase Public API lets you use Budibase as a backend and interoperate with other tools; docs cover getting an API key, the spec and Postman.
Yes. The Budibase Public API lets you use Budibase as a backend and interoperate with other tools; docs cover getting an API key, the spec and Postman.Does my data stay on my own servers?If you self-host, everything runs on your own infrastructure, where you also globally manage users, onboarding, SMTP, apps, groups and theming. Otherwise there is Budibase Cloud.
If you self-host, everything runs on your own infrastructure, where you also globally manage users, onboarding, SMTP, apps, groups and theming. Otherwise there is Budibase Cloud.Is it fully open source, or is some of it paid?The core is GPL v3, and the client and component libraries are MPL — so the apps you build can be licensed however you like. Paid features are under the Business Source License.
The core is GPL v3, and the client and component libraries are MPL — so the apps you build can be licensed however you like. Paid features are under the Business Source License.Is the AI locked to one model provider?No — Budibase is model agnostic, so you can connect the AI models your business already uses.
No — Budibase is model agnostic, so you can connect the AI models your business already uses.What is Budibase built with?A TypeScript monorepo managed by Lerna: the builder is a Svelte client-side app, finished apps are rendered in the browser from JSON definitions, and a Koa server serves them plus the database and file system API.
A TypeScript monorepo managed by Lerna: the builder is a Svelte client-side app, finished apps are rendered in the browser from JSON definitions, and a Koa server serves them plus the database and file system API.How established is the project?It dates back to 2019, has around 28,000 GitHub stars, and has an active community on GitHub discussions; new contributors can start with the good first issue label.
It dates back to 2019, has around 28,000 GitHub stars, and has an active community on GitHub discussions; new contributors can start with the good first issue label.Which topics is it in?internal-tools, workflow-engine, low-code, no-code, saas, workflow-automation, sql, kubernetes, agents, database, gplv3, api
internal-tools, workflow-engine, low-code, no-code, saas, workflow-automation, sql, kubernetes, agents, database, gplv3, api