go-pocketbase-integration

Go PocketBase Integration

Embed PocketBase as a Go library using the gopb package (github.com/castle-x/goutils/pocketbase) to produce a single-binary full-stack application with built-in auth, SQLite database, admin UI, and custom API routes.

Architecture Overview

Single Binary
├── gopb.AppServer (wraps PocketBase core.App)
│   ├── Default user initialization (superuser + app user)
│   ├── Setup routes (status check + change password)
│   └── SPA serving helpers (production + dev proxy)
├── Custom API Routes (business logic)
├── Migrations (schema version control)
└── Embedded SPA Frontend (go:embed)

PocketBase runs in-process — no separate service, no HTTP calls for auth validation.

Quick Start

1. Add dependencies

go get github.com/castle-x/goutils/pocketbase@latest
go get github.com/pocketbase/pocketbase@latest

2. Entry point

package main

import (
    "log"
    "os"
    "path/filepath"

    "your-project/internal/server"
    _ "your-project/internal/migrations"

    "github.com/pocketbase/pocketbase"
    "github.com/pocketbase/pocketbase/plugins/migratecmd"
)

func getDataDir() string {
    if dir := os.Getenv("DATA_DIR"); dir != "" {
        return dir
    }
    home, err := os.UserHomeDir()
    if err != nil {
        return "app_data"
    }
    return filepath.Join(home, ".myapp")
}

func main() {
    isDev := os.Getenv("ENV") == "dev"

    app := pocketbase.NewWithConfig(pocketbase.Config{
        DefaultDataDir: getDataDir(),
        DefaultDev:     isDev,
    })

    migratecmd.MustRegister(app, app.RootCmd, migratecmd.Config{
        Automigrate: isDev,
        Dir:         "internal/migrations",
    })

    srv := server.New(app)
    if err := srv.Start(); err != nil {
        log.Fatal(err)
    }
}

3. AppServer — use gopb building blocks

package server

import (
    gopb "github.com/castle-x/goutils/pocketbase"
    "github.com/pocketbase/pocketbase/apis"
    "github.com/pocketbase/pocketbase/core"
)

type AppServer struct {
    *gopb.AppServer
    dataPath string
}

func New(app core.App) *AppServer {
    srv := gopb.New(app, gopb.Options{
        DefaultEmail:    "[email protected]",
        DefaultPassword: "myapp123",
    })
    return &AppServer{AppServer: srv}
}

func (s *AppServer) Start() error {
    s.OnServe().BindFunc(func(e *core.ServeEvent) error {
        // 1. Setup routes (status check + change password)
        s.RegisterSetupRoutes(e)

        // 2. Business routes
        api := e.Router.Group("/api")
        api.Bind(apis.RequireAuth())
        api.GET("/items", s.handleListItems)

        // 3. Create default users if first run
        s.EnsureDefaults()

        // 4. Serve frontend (use build tags to switch)
        s.serveFrontend(e)

        return e.Next()
    })
    return s.AppServer.Start()
}