Appsmith
The open-source internal-tool builder - drag-and-drop UI over your databases and APIs, unlimited users, no per-seat bill.
One-click deploy, from $25/mo on a Miget plan.
Every team eventually needs the same internal apps - a support dashboard, a refund tool, an ops panel over the production database. Appsmith is the open-source way to build them in hours: drag widgets onto a canvas, connect Postgres/MySQL/Mongo/REST/GraphQL datasources, and write JavaScript anywhere logic is needed.
This template runs the Appsmith CE all-in-one image - embedded MongoDB, Redis, and Postgres in one container - behind a thin nginx proxy with websocket passthrough (the image serves on :80 and the platform publishes :5000, so the proxy bridges the two). State persists on the /appsmith-stacks volume.
The economics are the point: internal-tool SaaS prices per seat, and internal tools by definition have many viewers. Self-hosted Appsmith CE has unlimited builders and users; the only thing that scales is how good your tools get.
Upstream project: Appsmith CE
#what you get
- Drag-and-drop widgets: tables, forms, charts, buttons, modals
- Datasources: Postgres, MySQL, MongoDB, REST, GraphQL, S3, and more
- JavaScript everywhere - transformations, queries, event handlers
- Git-based version control for apps (connect a repo per workspace)
- Unlimited users and apps in CE - no seat pricing
- All-in-one image behind a websocket-aware nginx proxy
#topology
| Service | Role | Public |
|---|---|---|
| appsmith | Appsmith CE all-in-one (UI + API + embedded MongoDB/Redis/Postgres, :80) | no |
| web | nginx :5000 -> appsmith:80, websocket passthrough | yes |
#miget sizing
// this stack needs
4 GiB RAM · 5 GB disk · 2 services
The all-in-one image bundles three databases, making this the heaviest single app in the catalogue - 4 GiB is the working floor. Outgrow it by pointing APPSMITH_DB_URL at the catalogue’s mongodb replica-set template.
Hobby - recommended fit
$25/mo
2 vCPU · 4 GiB · 80 GiB disk
Headroom for your own apps: 8 GiB at $49/mo
Professional - production
$43/mo
2 vCPU · 4 GiB · 25 GiB disk
Dedicated resources, production SLOs - plan details
One Miget plan is a fixed pool of compute - the whole stack (managed databases included) deploys inside it, and anything left over runs your other apps. No per-service or per-seat math.
#vs. the managed service
What the hosted equivalents charge, against the flat Miget plan this stack fits on. Prices as of June 2026, sources linked.
| Service | Plan | Monthly | What you get |
|---|---|---|---|
| Appsmith on Miget ★ | 4 GiB plan | $25 | this whole stack, flat - no usage meters, and room left for your own apps |
| Retool | Team | ~$150 | for 5 builders ($10/ea) + 20 end users ($5/ea), billed annually; monthly billing runs ~$200 |
| Appsmith Cloud | Business | ~$375 | $15/user/mo at 25 users (5 builders + 20 end users) |
Per-seat pricing is the whole story here: self-hosted Appsmith CE has unlimited users at a flat infrastructure price.
#vs. other PaaS
Estimated monthly cost of running this exact stack (4 GiB RAM, 5 GB disk, 2 containers) elsewhere, from published June 2026 rates.
| Platform | Est. monthly | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Miget ★ | $25 flat | compose stacks first-class: one deploy, dedicated vCPU, managed Postgres/Valkey, volumes and TLS all included in the plan |
| Heroku | ~$200 | no volumes; nothing between 1 GB ($50) and 2.5 GB ($250) dynos - 2 GB containers cost far more than shown |
| DO App Platform | ~$53 | no persistent volumes - stateful containers need managed DBs/Spaces (base $5 Spaces included here) |
| Render | ~$51 | per-service instances (0.5 GB $7, 2 GB $25) - every container is its own paid service |
| Railway | ~$41 | usage-based ($10/GB RAM-mo); vCPU billed separately at $20/vCPU-mo on top |
| Fly.io | ~$24 | cheapest sticker price - but burstable shared CPUs (1/16 core; dedicated vCPUs cost ~2-3×), no compose deploys (one app per container, manual wiring), managed DBs billed extra |
Estimates assume RAM fully allocated at published on-demand rates - and sticker price isn't the whole comparison: the cheaper rows buy burstable shared CPUs, per-service wiring instead of a compose deploy, and managed databases billed separately. Heroku and DO App Platform have no persistent volumes at all - stateful stacks like this one need workarounds there.
#deploy it
On Miget
- Create a Compose Stack in app.miget.com pointing at the templates repository
- Set the stack path to
appsmith -
Set the required variable:
APPSMITH_ENCRYPTION_PASSWORD / APPSMITH_ENCRYPTION_SALT, recommended from day one - they encrypt datasource credentials; backups are unreadable without the originals
- Deploy. Miget layers
compose.miget.yaml(RAM, privacy, volumes, managed services) automatically
Locally first?
Every template is portable, vanilla Docker Compose - the Miget overrides are ignored locally:
git clone https://github.com/deployable-sh/stacks
cd miget-compose-templates/appsmith
docker compose up -dSame files, same behavior. The template README covers connection strings and scaling notes.
#faq
How does self-hosted Appsmith compare to Retool pricing?
Retool Team runs ~$150/month for a small team (5 builders + 20 end users, billed annually) and grows with every seat. This stack is $49/month flat with unlimited users - the crossover happens at roughly two users, and internal tools always grow viewers.
Why is there an nginx proxy in the stack?
The Appsmith image serves on port 80 with no env to change it, and the platform publishes port 5000. The proxy bridges that and passes websockets through (Appsmith realtime runs over Socket.IO). It adds 128 MiB and zero operational surface.
Is the embedded MongoDB fine for production?
For typical internal-tool workloads, yes - it is Appsmith’s default deployment shape, and everything persists on the volume. At larger scale, point APPSMITH_DB_URL at an external MongoDB replica set (5.0+, readWrite + clusterMonitor roles) - this catalogue’s mongodb template is exactly that.
Can my whole team use it without extra cost?
Yes - Appsmith CE has no seat limits. After the first admin signs up, registration is invite-only by default; invite builders and viewers freely. Paid Appsmith plans add SSO, granular roles, and audit logs, not seats.
What datasources can I connect from inside the project?
Anything reachable on the project network by service name - the catalogue’s Postgres-backed stacks, mongodb, clickhouse, or any API your apps expose - plus external databases and REST/GraphQL endpoints over the internet.
Ship Appsmith today
One compose stack, 4 GiB of RAM, from $25/month flat, and it runs on your laptop with the same files.