Developers are actively discussing bknd, a lightweight Firebase alternative that promises to simplify backend development while offering flexible deployment options. The open-source project has generated particular interest around its authentication mechanisms and deployment flexibility, with the community exploring how it compares to established solutions.
Authentication and Authorization Concerns
Security remains a top priority for developers evaluating backend-as-a-service solutions. In the community discussions, authentication implementation emerged as a primary concern, with developers questioning how bknd handles user access control. According to the project's creator, bknd offers multi-strategy authentication similar to Firebase, supporting email/password combinations and OAuth/OIDC protocols with pre-configured options for Google and GitHub integration.
The authorization system employs role-based access control where permissions attach to roles that are subsequently assigned to users. Claims are transported via JWT (JSON Web Tokens) with configurable lifetime, secret, and hashing parameters. Currently, the system operates statelessly, meaning tokens aren't verified against a session store, though the developer has indicated willingness to implement such functionality based on community feedback.
I can't think of any operation where I wouldn't want some backend logic in between. Firebase rules don't cut it.
This sentiment highlights the skepticism some developers maintain about backend-as-a-service solutions that might oversimplify access control. However, bknd attempts to address this by allowing developers to hook into system events and customize authorization according to specific requirements.
Deployment Flexibility and Integration
A significant differentiator for bknd appears to be its deployment flexibility. Unlike traditional backend services that require separate hosting, bknd can be embedded directly into fullstack applications. This has created some confusion in the community about how database credentials remain secure in such configurations.
The project creator clarified that when using frameworks like Next.js, Remix, or Astro, bknd runs exclusively on the server side, maintaining proper separation of concerns. For edge deployments, bknd supports platforms like Cloudflare using Workers, D1, and R2, making it potentially more scalable than alternatives like PocketBase.
This deployment flexibility extends to non-React environments as well. While the project offers specific integrations for React frameworks, the core functionality is accessible through REST APIs that work with any tech stack. The project includes a TypeScript SDK but remains framework-agnostic at its core.
bknd Package Structure
| Import | Purpose |
|---|---|
bknd |
Backend including APIs and adapters |
bknd/ui |
Admin UI components for React frameworks |
bknd/client |
TypeScript SDK and React hooks for API endpoints |
bknd/elements |
React components for authentication and media |
Package Sizes
- bknd: 53.7 KB
- bknd/client: 4.8 KB
- bknd/elements: 13.4 KB
- bknd/ui: 235.7 KB
Minimal size of a full bknd app as an API: ~212 KB gzipped
Community Reception
Early adopters have expressed appreciation for bknd's approach, with one user specifically thanking the creator for the project. The combination of simplicity, flexibility, and familiar authentication patterns appears to resonate with developers looking for alternatives to established services like Firebase and Supabase.
As bknd continues development (currently pre-1.0.0), the community's feedback will likely shape its feature priorities. The project's creator has actively engaged with users' questions, demonstrating responsiveness to concerns about authentication, deployment models, and integration capabilities.
For developers interested in exploring bknd, the project offers a quick start option (npx bknd run) and detailed documentation at docs.bknd.io. With its small footprint (the core package is just 53.7 KB) and emphasis on web standards compatibility, bknd represents an interesting new option in the increasingly crowded backend-as-a-service landscape.
Reference: bknd-io/bknd