Convex
The Open-Source Backend Platform That Cuts Infrastructure Costs by 95%
Deploy a production-ready reactive backend in under 2 minutes with CloudStation's one-click setup. Convex combines enterprise-grade real-time database with the freedom of open source - featuring type-safe queries end-to-end, serverless TypeScript functions, built-in file storage, scheduled jobs, and vector search that makes Firebase and Supabase feel like they're stuck in 2018.
What Makes Convex Revolutionary?
Escape the Per-Developer Pricing Trap
While Convex's own cloud charges $25/developer/month and Firebase nickel-and-dimes you per read, write, and delete with unpredictable bills that spike without warning, Convex on CloudStation gives you UNLIMITED developers, UNLIMITED function calls, and UNLIMITED query throughput for just $17.99/month total. No per-seat math, no surprise invoices, no "did we just blow past the free tier" panic.
Battle-Tested by the Best
With 11,500+ GitHub stars, 700+ forks, and $26M in backing from Andreessen Horowitz, Convex was built by the engineers who ran Dropbox's exabyte-scale infrastructure. This isn't a weekend side project — it's the backend platform that production teams at hundreds of startups trust for real-time, collaborative applications.
Real-Time Without the Wiring
Firebase makes you bolt together Firestore, Cloud Functions, and hand-rolled websockets. Supabase gives you Postgres plus real-time subscriptions you have to configure manually. Convex's reactive sync engine automatically streams database changes to every connected client — no polling, no cache invalidation, no websocket boilerplate. Write a query and the UI updates. That's it.
Core Capabilities Teams Love
Reactive Real-Time Database
Automatic live queries — UI updates when data changes, zero code
ACID transactions with strong consistency (not eventual)
Type-safe from database schema to frontend component
Optimistic updates with automatic rollback on conflict
Serverless Functions Engine
Write queries, mutations, and actions in pure TypeScript
Scheduled jobs (crons) to run recurring backend tasks
Node.js actions for integrating with any external API
Built-in authentication with 80+ OAuth integrations
File Storage & AI Infrastructure
Built-in file storage with automatic URL generation
Vector search for RAG, semantic search, and AI applications
Full-text search across your database without Elasticsearch
Streaming data exports for analytics and data pipelines
Developer-First Platform
CLI, dashboard, and preview deployments for every branch
React, Next.js, and TypeScript SDKs with first-class support
Open-source backend (MIT license) — audit it, fork it, own it
Self-host on your own infrastructure with Docker or bare metal
Who's Switching to Convex?
Indie Developers: "Finally a backend that feels like magic — write TypeScript functions, get real-time sync for free, never touch a deployment script again"
React & Next.js Startups: "Migrated from Firebase to Convex and cut our backend codebase in half — type safety from database to button click"
Full-Stack Engineers: "ACID transactions in a real-time database? Vector search without provisioning a separate service? Convex is what Firebase should have been"
AI Application Builders: Deployed vector search, file storage, and scheduled ingestion jobs all in one platform — no infrastructure assembly required
Why Deploy with CloudStation?
2-Minute Setup: One click and your entire backend is live — PostgreSQL, Convex server, and all services configured
Everything Included: Database, file storage, vector search, crons, authentication — all bundled for $17.99
Unlimited Developers: Your entire engineering team connects to one backend at one price
Zero Maintenance: We handle backups, updates, monitoring, and scaling — you handle building your product
Pricing That Actually Makes Sense
🚀 CloudStation Basic Plan: $17.99/month total
✓ 1 app deployment
✓ 10GB storage
✓ Custom domains
✓ Free SSL
✓ Docker support
✓ Automatic backups
Compare to Firebase: Production app with real-time sync, file storage, serverless functions, and 50GB database = $350+/month. Convex Cloud charges $25/dev/month — a 5-person team pays $125/month before usage.
You save $332+/month (95%!) with Convex on CloudStation
Setup After Deploy
The admin key is printed to the Backend service logs on first boot. Open the Backend service in CloudStation, view Logs, and look for a line beginning with ==== CONVEX_ADMIN_KEY:. Paste it into the dashboard login form and into your project's .env.local as CONVEX_SELF_HOSTED_ADMIN_KEY.
Environment Variables
| Variable | Description | Secret | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
CONVEX_SELF_HOSTED_ADMIN_KEY | Admin key for the Convex instance | Yes | Auto-generated; printed to Backend logs on first boot. Paste into dashboard + project .env.local. |
INSTANCE_NAME | Stable identifier for this Convex instance | Yes | Defaults to convex-cloudstation. The Postgres database name is the instance name with - replaced by _. |
INSTANCE_SECRET | Instance secret used to derive the admin key | Yes | Auto-generated via {{rand(64)}}. To rotate, change the value and restart the Backend service. |
CONVEX_CLOUD_ORIGIN | Public URL of the Convex API (port 3210) | No | Auto-set to the Backend service's public domain on port 3210. |
CONVEX_SITE_ORIGIN | Public URL of HTTP actions (port 3211) | No | Auto-set to the Backend service's public domain on port 3211. |
POSTGRES_URL | Postgres connection string (no DB name) | Yes | Auto-wired from the bundled Postgres service. Convex requires the URL without the database name. |
NEXT_PUBLIC_DEPLOYMENT_URL | Backend URL the dashboard connects to | No | Auto-set on the Dashboard service to the Backend's public domain on port 3210. |
Start Your Backend Revolution
Join thousands of developers building real-time applications without the infrastructure tax. With CloudStation's one-click deployment, you'll have a fully functional, type-safe reactive backend running in under 2 minutes.
Deploy Convex Now → Type-safe. Reactive. One price. No surprises.
Convex on CloudStation: $17.99 for a complete reactive backend. Firebase charges that for 100K reads on a slow Tuesday.