TrailBase is an open, single-binary Firebase alternative that ships type-safe REST & realtime APIs, a built-in admin UI, WebAssembly runtime, and authentication powered by Rust, SQLite, and Wasmtime. This compose bundle runs the official Docker image with sensible defaults so you can immediately explore the admin console, build data models, and deploy edge components without extra dependencies.

Services

trailbase: TrailBase application server with the embedded admin UI, REST API, and realtime channels.

Quick Start

Copy the sample environment file and adjust values as needed:
```
cp .env.example .env
```
Launch the stack:
```
docker compose up -d
```
Tail the logs to capture the auto-generated administrator credentials from the first boot:
```
docker compose logs -f trailbase
```
Open http://localhost:4000/_/admin and sign in with the printed credentials (or create your own admin; see below).

Default Endpoints

Endpoint	Description
`http://localhost:4000/_/admin`	Admin UI
`http://localhost:4000/api/healthcheck`	Health probe used by Docker
`http://localhost:4000/_/auth/login`	Optional Auth UI component

Environment Variables

Variable	Description	Default
`TRAILBASE_VERSION`	Docker image tag pulled from Docker Hub	`0.22.4`
`TRAILBASE_PORT_OVERRIDE`	Host port that maps to container port `4000`	`4000`
`TRAILBASE_RUST_BACKTRACE`	Enables verbose Rust backtraces for troubleshooting	`1`
`TRAILBASE_LOG_MAX_SIZE`	Max log file size for the `json-file` driver	`100m`
`TRAILBASE_LOG_MAX_FILE`	Number of rotated log files to keep	`3`
`TRAILBASE_CPU_LIMIT`	CPU limit applied via `deploy.resources.limits`	`1.0`
`TRAILBASE_MEMORY_LIMIT`	Memory limit applied via `deploy.resources.limits`	`1G`
`TRAILBASE_CPU_RESERVATION`	CPU reservation to keep TrailBase responsive	`0.25`
`TRAILBASE_MEMORY_RESERVATION`	Memory reservation to protect against eviction	`256M`
`TZ`	Timezone passed to the container	`UTC`

See .env.example for the complete, commented list.

Volumes

trailbase_data: Stores the traildepot directory which contains the SQLite database, WASM components, authentication secrets, and uploaded assets. Back up this volume to preserve your project.

Bootstrap & Admin Accounts

On the first start TrailBase prints temporary administrator credentials to the logs. Capture them with docker compose logs -f trailbase.

Create additional verified users (or rotate the admin) without restarting the service:

docker compose exec trailbase /app/trail user add admin@example.com "StrongPassw0rd!"

To inspect user records or rotate passwords later, you can use other trail CLI commands from the same container.

Optional Components

The container already ships the official Auth UI WASM component under /app/traildepot/wasm. If you need extra components, install them at runtime:

docker compose exec trailbase /app/trail components add trailbase/auth_ui
docker compose exec trailbase /app/trail components add your-org/your-component

Mount your own WASM components or configuration alongside the trailbase_data volume if you prefer to keep them under version control.

Health & Maintenance

The included healthcheck hits http://localhost:4000/api/healthcheck. You can perform manual probes with curl http://localhost:4000/api/healthcheck.

Back up the data volume periodically:

docker compose stop trailbase
docker run --rm -v compose-anything_trailbase_data:/data -v $(pwd):/backup alpine tar czf /backup/trailbase-backup.tar.gz -C /data .
docker compose start trailbase

Restore by reversing the tar command into the named volume.

Security Notes

Rotate the default admin credentials immediately and restrict the exposed port with a firewall or reverse proxy.
Set TRAILBASE_RUST_BACKTRACE=0 in production to avoid verbose stack traces in logs.
Terminate TLS with a reverse proxy such as Caddy, nginx, or Traefik and place TrailBase behind it for HTTPS.
Back up the trailbase_data volume before upgrading to new releases.

References

Project website: https://trailbase.io
GitHub repository: https://github.com/trailbaseio/trailbase
Documentation: https://trailbase.io/reference
License: Open Software License 3.0 (OSL-3.0)