PocketHost 3.0
PocketHost 3.0 lands July 1, 2026. It bundles months of platform work into one refresh: SFTP file access, scoped account keys, trusted IPs, phio deploy, smarter rate limits, SQLite auto vacuum, clearer instance status, billing in the dashboard, and a Flounder sunset.
This page lists every customer-facing change in 3.0. Each section links to the blog or docs for a deep dive.
File access and deploy
SFTP file access
SFTP on port 2222 with Ed25519 SSH keys is the way to manage instance files. Same virtual layout as before (/{your-instance}/pb_hooks, pb_migrations, and the rest). Standard SSH tooling on Mac, Windows, and Linux.
See SFTP File Access and register keys under Account → Keys.
More detail: SFTP file access
Account access keys
Register Ed25519 keys under Account → Keys and grant SFTP access to all instances or a specific subset. Scoped keys get a virtual root with just those subdomains. Full-account keys see every instance you own.
This is the first step toward shared account access with limited permissions. Keys are SFTP-only today.
More detail: Account access keys
phio deploy over SFTP
phio dev, phio deploy, and phio logs now sync over SFTP on port 2222 with an auto-provisioned Ed25519 deploy key. Project linking moves to .phioconfig.
See phio CLI.
More detail: phio 0.4: Deploy over SFTP
FTPS sunset
FTPS on port 21 (email + password) is on a sunset path and will be removed after a grace period. It still works during the transition. New setups should use SFTP only.
If you use GitHub Actions against ftp.pockethost.io:21, migrate to SFTP or run phio deploy in CI.
More detail: FTPS is going away
Account and billing
Billing in the dashboard
Subscribe and cancel Pay Per PocketBase without leaving PocketHost. Checkout starts from /pricing or /get-started. Cancel recurring billing at Account → Cancel.
See pricing ethos.
Self-serve email change
Change your account email at Account → Change email. Enter a new address, confirm from the new inbox with your current password. Your old email stays active until you confirm. After confirmation, your SFTP username matches your account email.
See Account creation.
Account storage meters
Account shows pooled DB storage and file storage usage against your slot pool. Meters are live today. Enforcement against your paid slot count goes live July 1.
See limits.
Flounder lifetime ends July 1
The Flounder one-time lifetime tier stops selling July 1, 2026.
- Existing Flounder subscribers stay grandfathered. Your hosting does not change.
- Accounts created before July 1 get a 30-day grace window (through July 31) to buy Flounder if you still want it.
- After that, new lifetime purchases are off the table.
Check pricing while sales are open.
More detail: Last call for Flounder lifetime access
Pay Per PocketBase limits (July 1)
PocketHost is a hard paywall: $5/month per PocketBase slot (7-day trial). Each paid slot adds 250 MB DB data and 10 GB file storage (pooled on your account) and lets you power on one PocketBase at a time.
Create unlimited instance records. Your slot count sets how many can run at once.
If you already subscribe, your billing does not change. Same plan, same price.
What changes July 1: we enforce powered-on and storage limits against your slot count. See pricing and pricing ethos.
More detail: PocketHost 3.0 preview
Instance lifecycle and reliability
Power off that actually powers off
Power off now stops your Docker container immediately, not eventually. The dashboard shows Stopping… while shutdown completes. Destructive actions wait until the instance is fully idle.
More detail: Running, Sleeping, and Power Off
Running, Sleeping, and Starting
Powered-on instances hibernate after idle time. The dashboard now shows the difference:
- Running — container is up and serving requests
- Sleeping — powered on but hibernated. The next request wakes it
- Starting — waking up or spinning up after idle
Badges appear on the main dashboard and every instance settings page.
More detail: Running, Sleeping, and Power Off · /docs/power
Honest status across restarts
Instance status on the dashboard tracks runtime truth more closely after Mothership or edge restarts. Warm containers report back on reconnect instead of leaving stale Running or Sleeping rows.
More detail: Instance status that survives restarts
Graceful edge restarts
During edge daemon maintenance, the firewall holds instance traffic for up to 60 seconds while the edge restarts. Instance containers stay running and reattach on boot instead of cold-starting. Fewer hard 500 errors during planned maintenance.
More detail: Graceful edge restarts
Database maintenance
Auto Vacuum
Auto Vacuum runs SQLite VACUUM on your instance data.db and logs.db during the nightly maintenance sweep. On by default for every instance. Toggle per instance under Auto Vacuum in the dashboard.
Compacts only while the instance is idle (hibernated). Running containers are skipped until they sleep.
See Auto Vacuum.
More detail: Auto Vacuum for idle instances
Vacuum Now
Vacuum Now is on-demand compaction when you need disk space back immediately, not after the next idle window. It force-stops the instance, compacts both SQLite files, then lets you power back on. Plan for a brief maintenance window.
The dashboard button is rolling out as part of 3.0. Until then, self-hosters can run pockethost edge vacuum on idle instances.
More detail: Vacuum Now
Rate limits and firewall
Weighted rate limiting
File routes (/api/files/...) now cost 1 point per request against the hourly cap. Everything else (REST API, auth, realtime, admin) costs 10 points. File traffic gets an order of magnitude more headroom without loosening API abuse protection.
More detail: Smarter rate limits for API vs file traffic
Account trusted IPs
Add up to five trusted egress IPs or CIDRs at Account → Trusted IPs. Requests from those addresses get higher firewall rate limits on all of your instances.
For server-side proxies, set the X-PocketHost-Client-IP header to the real browser IP. PocketHost only honors that header when the connecting IP is on your trusted list.
See Trusted IPs.
More detail: Account trusted IPs for rate limits
Platform and control plane
PocketBase v0.39 on Mothership
The mothership control plane runs PocketBase v0.39. That unlocks newer control-plane APIs and keeps us aligned with current PocketBase releases. Instance version selection on your projects is separate. We will communicate anything that affects your instances.
More detail: Mothership is on PocketBase 0.39
Direct PocketBase version sync
PocketBase versions now sync directly from GitHub releases. No middleman. New patch releases show up faster in the instance version picker. Run pocketbase update (or serve) and the catalog refreshes automatically.
More detail: Direct PocketBase version sync
Dashboard UI refresh
The dashboard migrated to Web Awesome: consistent components, built-in icons, readable docs typography, and sensible max-widths on wide monitors. Same PocketHost, cleaner UI.
More detail: Dashboard UI: Web Awesome migration
What to do now
- Set up SFTP. Generate an Ed25519 key, add it at Account → Keys, and test a connection using /docs/ftp.
- Retire FTPS bookmarks. Point clients and CI at SFTP when you can. Keep FTPS only where you still need it until deploy tooling catches up.
- Add trusted IPs if you proxy. SSR apps and shared egress NATs benefit from Account → Trusted IPs.
- Decide on Flounder. If lifetime Pay Per PocketBase fits you, buy before July 1 (or July 31 if you already had an account on July 1).
- Check your usage. Open Account for DB and file storage meters vs your slot pool before enforcement on July 1.
- Watch for updates. Follow the blog and your account email as 3.0 rolls out.