Kuzzle is an open source backend platform that provides real-time pub/sub, REST and WebSocket APIs, multi-database support, and built-in authentication so teams can build data-driven applications without assembling these services separately.
The Problem
Firebase gives teams a real-time backend quickly, but it locks data into Google's infrastructure with no self-host path, limited querying capabilities, and pricing that scales with reads and writes in ways that are hard to predict. Teams building applications with complex query requirements, on-premise deployments, or strict data residency needs hit these walls early.
How Kuzzle Solves It
Kuzzle runs on your own infrastructure and provides a unified API over Elasticsearch or OpenSearch for powerful full-text and geospatial queries, combined with real-time subscriptions and a plugin system for custom business logic. Built-in multi-tenant authentication, role-based permissions, and data validation are included without separate configuration. Apache-2.0 licensed.
Key Features
- Real-time subscriptions on any collection with fine-grained filter support for live data feeds
- REST and WebSocket APIs out of the box with SDKs for JavaScript, Python, Java, Go, and Swift
- Elasticsearch and OpenSearch backends for powerful full-text, geospatial, and aggregation queries
- Built-in multi-tenant authentication: JWT, OAuth2, API key, and custom providers via plugins
- Role-based access control at collection and field level for granular data permissions
- Apache-2.0 licensed; self-host via Docker Compose or Kubernetes
Who It's For
Kuzzle is best for development teams building IoT dashboards, real-time data applications, or multi-tenant SaaS products who need a backend that handles both real-time and complex query workloads without assembling Elasticsearch plus a pub/sub layer plus an auth service.
Compared to Firebase
Unlike Firebase, Kuzzle is fully self-hostable with no vendor lock-in. Firebase has a richer mobile SDK ecosystem and zero-setup hosting, but Kuzzle provides Elasticsearch-powered full-text and geospatial queries that Firebase cannot match, and all data stays on your infrastructure.
