Getting Started

NocoDB has two variants: self-hosted and cloud-hosted (SaaS). This guide shows you how to start with each option.

Self Hosted

Self-hosting gives you full control of your data and infrastructure. You can run NocoDB on your own server or on a cloud provider that you select.

SaaS (Cloud Hosted)

Go to the NocoDB website.
Click the Start For Free button in the top right corner.
Sign up with your Google account or your email address.
To verify your account, click the link in the email that NocoDB sends you.

After you sign up, the NocoDB dashboard opens. It has a default workspace that is ready to use.

Build a Base

A base is your database. It contains tables, fields and relationships. Create a new base or import an existing one from Airtable.

Create Tables

Tables keep your data in rows and columns, like a spreadsheet. Add new tables to your base, or import from CSV, Excel, or JSON.

Add Fields

Fields are columns that hold one type of data: text, numbers, dates, attachments and more. Use the multi-fields editor to add, edit, reorder and configure many fields at one time.

Establish Relationships between Tables

Use Link To Another Record fields to connect related data in different tables. For example, to link "Tasks" to a "Project", create an LTAR field in the "Projects" table. Point the field to the "Tasks" table.

Add Records

Add records manually or upload data from CSV files.

Create views

Views show your data in different layouts, and you can work with the data in each layout. Create multiple views for each table. Each view has its own fields, filters and sort order. Available view types: Grid, Form, Gallery, Kanban, Calendar, Timeline, Gantt, List, and Map.

Connect your data sources

Is your data already in an external database? Connect your existing data sources and work with them in the NocoDB spreadsheet interface.

Collaborate with your team

Invite team members to your workspace and share bases with them. Assign roles and permissions to control access at the workspace, base, table and field levels.

To share publicly, create a public link or embed your base on your website.

Automate your workflows

NocoDB has several ways to automate repeated tasks:

Workflows: Build visual automations with triggers, actions, conditions, and loops
Scripts: Write JavaScript to automate operations across tables, fields, and records
Webhooks: Send notifications to external services on record changes

Extend with dashboards and apps

Dashboards: Create visual dashboards with chart widgets, numbers, text, and iframes
Extensions: Add functionality with Bulk Update, Data Exporter, Dedupe, Org Chart, Page Designer, and more

Use AI to work faster

NocoAI is the AI assistant in NocoDB. To open it, click the NocoAI button at the bottom-right of any base. Ask it to build tables and views, answer questions about your data or update records. Refer to what NocoAI can do.

Ask NocoAI

Copy a prompt, paste it into NocoAI in any base, and replace the words in [brackets] with your own.

Create a table to track [tasks] with the fields a small team would need
Add a few sample records to this table so I can try things out
Create a kanban view of this table grouped by [Status]
What can you help me do in this base?

Create documents with NocoDocs

NocoDocs is a built-in document editor. It has rich text formatting, comments, AI writing help and detailed permissions.

Good to know

If you are new to NocoDB, we recommend that you start with the cloud-hosted option. New users can try the platform's features on the free plan.