About ɳSelf
Self-host the modern stack in 5 minutes
ɳSelf is a CLI and plugin ecosystem that gives any developer a complete production-grade backend stack. Postgres, Hasura GraphQL, Auth, Storage, Nginx. No vendor lock-in. No surprise bills. Your data, your server, your rules.
Mission
Give every developer a complete production-grade backend stack: Postgres, Hasura GraphQL, Auth, Storage, Nginx. Without vendor lock-in or surprise bills. One command and your stack is running. The same setup works on a laptop, a $5/mo VPS, a Kubernetes cluster, or a managed cloud.
Why ɳSelf exists
Most developers know the pain. You start a project. You need a database, an auth system, file storage, a GraphQL layer. You either glue together five paid SaaS services and watch your bill climb, or you spend a weekend wiring up Docker, Postgres, and Nginx by hand. Either way you lose time you should be spending on your actual product.
ɳSelf was built to make that choice go away. The CLI bundles the production stack the rest of the industry has agreed on, configures it for you, and hands you a working backend in minutes. The core is MIT licensed and free for everyone, including commercial use. We never gate the core. Revenue comes from optional plugin bundles and managed hosting for people who want them.
The work started as a personal tool. It is now used to power the product family that depends on it: ɳClaw, ɳChat, ɳTask, ɳTV, ɳFamily, and ClawDE. We dog-food everything we ship.
Principles
MIT core
The CLI and 26 free plugins are MIT licensed. Free for everyone, forever. Commercial use included. Never gated.
Security always free
Row-level security, rate limits, MFA throttle, SSRF guard, JWT rotation, automatic TLS. All free, default, automatic. No paywall.
Plugin-first
Every feature is a plugin that anyone can use, fork, or replace. The CLI itself is a plugin host. Build your own and publish to the marketplace.
Self-hosted first
Your data never leaves your network unless you opt in. nCloud is a convenience, not a requirement. Everything runs on your own server too.
By the numbers
26
Free plugins (MIT)
100
Pro plugins
5 min
Backend up and running
$0
Cost of the core, ever
The CLI is MIT and the 26 free plugins are MIT. The 100 pro plugins are source-available and license-gated, with revenue funding ongoing development.
Team
ɳSelf is built by a small team led by Aric Camarata, with contributions from plugin authors and self-hosters around the world. We are independent and fully self-funded by plugin bundles and managed hosting.
Get in touch
- GitHub: github.com/nself-org
- Community chat: chat.nself.org
- ɳSelf+ subscriber support: in-app via the ɳChat app or chat.nself.org
- Security: security@nself.org