PocketBase Best Practices

PocketBase is a single-binary backend (SQLite + REST + realtime + auth) that is easy to start with and easy to misuse at scale. This skill gives AI agents the guardrails: 64 rules across 9 categories, each with an incorrect vs. correct code example, covering the mistakes agents actually make — insecure API rules, unindexed queries, broken auth flows, N+1 expands, leaked server-side handles.

Updated for PocketBase v0.40 and JS SDK v0.28 (August 2026). Works with v0.36+.

How rules are prioritized

Every rule carries an impact level: Critical = security holes or broken data models, High = performance and correctness problems, Medium/Low = operational polish. When rules conflict, higher impact wins.

What's covered

Quick Reference

Collection Design (CRITICAL)

• coll-field-types: Use appropriate field types (json for objects, select for enums)
• coll-auth-vs-base: Extend auth collection for users, base for non-auth data
• coll-relations: Use relation fields, not manual ID strings
• coll-indexes: Create indexes on frequently filtered/sorted fields
• coll-view-collections: Use views for complex aggregations
• coll-geopoint: Store coordinates as json field with lat/lng

API Rules (CRITICAL)

• rules-basics: Always set API rules; empty = public access
• rules-filter-syntax: Use @request.auth, @collection, @now in rules
• rules-request-context: Access request data via @request.body, @request.query; @request.context values: default/oauth2/otp/password/realtime/protectedFile
• rules-cross-collection: Use @collection.name.field for cross-collection checks
• rules-locked-vs-open: Start locked, open selectively
• rules-strftime: Use strftime('%Y-%m-%d', created) for date arithmetic (v0.36+)

Authentication (CRITICAL)

• auth-password: Use authWithPassword for email/password login
• auth-oauth2: Configure OAuth2 providers via Admin UI; run ≥v0.38.2 (pre-linking hijack fix); provider logos come inline from listAuthMethods() (v0.37+)
• auth-otp: Two-step requestOTP → authWithOTP; rate-limit requestOTP and never leak email existence
• auth-token-management: Store tokens securely, refresh before expiry
• auth-mfa: Enable MFA for sensitive applications
• auth-impersonation: Use impersonation for admin actions on behalf of users

SDK Usage (HIGH)

• sdk-initialization: Initialize client once, reuse instance
• sdk-auth-store: Use AsyncAuthStore for React Native/SSR
• sdk-error-handling: Catch ClientResponseError, check status codes
• sdk-auto-cancellation: Disable auto-cancel for concurrent requests
• sdk-filter-binding: Use filter binding to prevent injection

Query Performance (HIGH)

• query-expand: Expand relations to avoid N+1 queries
• query-field-selection: Select only needed fields
• query-pagination: Use cursor pagination for large datasets
• query-batch-operations: Batch creates/updates when possible

Realtime (MEDIUM)

• realtime-subscribe: Subscribe to specific records or collections
• realtime-events: Handle create, update, delete events separately
• realtime-auth: Realtime respects API rules automatically; auth unsets on password change; ~30min absolute connection cap (v0.38+)
• realtime-reconnection: Implement reconnection logic — periodic reconnects are by design, re-sync state instead of fighting them

File Handling (MEDIUM)

• file-upload: Use FormData for uploads, set proper content types
• file-serving: Use pb.files.getURL() for file URLs
• file-validation: Validate file types and sizes server-side

Deployment (MEDIUM)

• deploy-backup: Schedule regular backups of pb_data
• deploy-configuration: Use environment variables for config; mind v0.40 log caps (Log.Data ~16KB) and treat the SQL console (v0.39+) as debug-only
• deploy-reverse-proxy: Put behind nginx/caddy in production
• deploy-sqlite-considerations: Optimize SQLite for production workloads
• deploy-rate-limiting: Enable the built-in rate limiter (fixed-window as of v0.36.7); front with Nginx/Caddy for defense in depth
• deploy-scaling: Raise ulimit -n for realtime, set GOMEMLIMIT, enable settings encryption
• deploy-superuser-ips: Whitelist superuser access by IP/CIDR in production (v0.38+); recovery via the superuser ips console command

Server-Side Extending (HIGH)

• ext-go-setup: Use app.OnServe() to register routes; use e.App inside hooks, not the parent-scope app; v0.40 needs Go 1.27 (encoding/json/v2 — test before shipping)
• ext-js-setup: Drop *.pb.js in pbhooks/; add /// <reference path="../pbdata/types.d.ts" />
• ext-hooks-chain: Always call e.Next()/e.next(); use Bind with an Id for later Unbind
• ext-hooks-record-vs-request: Use OnRecordEnrich to shape responses (incl. realtime); OnRecordRequest for HTTP-only
• ext-routing-custom: Namespace routes under /api/{yourapp}/; attach RequireAuth() middleware
• ext-transactions: Use the scoped txApp inside RunInTransaction; never capture the outer app
• ext-filter-binding-server: Bind user input with {:name} + dbx.Params in FindFirstRecordByFilter / FindRecordsByFilter
• ext-filesystem: defer fs.Close() on every NewFilesystem() / NewBackupsFilesystem() handle
• ext-cron-jobs: Register with app.Cron().MustAdd(id, expr, fn) / cronAdd(); stable ids, no pb* prefix
• ext-go-migrations: Versioned .go files under migrations/; Automigrate: osutils.IsProbablyGoRun()
• ext-js-migrations: pbmigrations/<unix>*.js with migrate(upFn, downFn); auto-discovered by filename
• ext-mailer: Resolve sender from app.Settings().Meta at send-time; never ship [email protected]; create the mail client per send
• ext-settings: Read via app.Settings() at call time; set PBENCRYPTION (32 chars) to encrypt params at rest
• ext-testing: tests.NewTestApp(testDataDir) + tests.ApiScenario; defer app.Cleanup(), assert ExpectedEvents
• ext-compose-request-flow: Composite walkthrough showing which app instance is active at each layer (route → tx → hook → enrich)
• ext-go-custom-sqlite: Only use DBConnect when you need FTS5/ICU; DBConnect is called twice (data.db + auxiliary.db)
• ext-jsvm-scope: Variables outside handlers are undefined at runtime — load shared config via require() inside the handler
• ext-jsvm-modules: Only CJS (require()) works in goja; bundle ESM first; avoid mutable module state

Example Prompts

Try these with your AI agent to see the skill in action:

Building a new feature:

• "Design a PocketBase schema for an e-commerce app with products, orders, and reviews"
• "Implement OAuth2 login with Google and GitHub for my app"
• "Build a real-time notification system with PocketBase subscriptions"
• "Create a file upload form with image validation and thumbnail previews"

Fixing issues:

• "My list query is slow on 100k records -- optimize it"
• "I'm getting 403 errors on my batch operations"
• "Fix the N+1 query problem in my posts list that loads author data in a loop"
• "My realtime subscriptions stop working after a few minutes"

Security review:

• "Review my API rules -- users should only access their own data"
• "Set up proper access control: admins manage all content, users edit only their own"
• "Are my authentication cookies configured securely for SSR?"
• "Audit my collection rules for IDOR vulnerabilities"

Going to production:

• "Configure Nginx with HTTPS, rate limiting, and security headers for PocketBase"
• "Set up automated backups for my PocketBase database"
• "Optimize SQLite settings for a production workload with ~500 concurrent users"
• "Deploy PocketBase with Docker Compose and Caddy"

Extending PocketBase:

• "Add a custom Go route that sends a Slack notification after a record is created"
• "Write a pb_hooks script that validates an email domain before user signup"
• "Set up FTS5 full-text search with a custom SQLite driver in my Go app"
• "Share a config object across multiple pb_hooks files without race conditions"

Detailed Rules

Load the relevant category for complete rule documentation with code examples:

• [Collection Design](references/collection-design.md) - Schema patterns, field types, relations, indexes
• [API Rules & Security](references/api-rules-security.md) - Access control, filter expressions, security patterns
• [Authentication](references/authentication.md) - Password auth, OAuth2, MFA, token management
• [SDK Usage](references/sdk-usage.md) - Client initialization, auth stores, error handling, hooks
• [Query Performance](references/query-performance.md) - Pagination, expansion, batch operations, N+1 prevention
• [Realtime](references/realtime.md) - SSE subscriptions, event handling, reconnection
• [File Handling](references/file-handling.md) - Uploads, serving, validation
• [Production & Deployment](references/production-deployment.md) - Backup, configuration, reverse proxy, SQLite optimization
• [Server-Side Extending](references/server-side-extending.md) - Go/JSVM setup, event hooks, custom routes, modules, custom SQLite