Metabase Hosting

A new pod can take several minutes to start; check the pod logs if the setup page is not ready yet. Then open the pod URL and follow Metabase’s setup wizard.

Choose your language, create the first administrator account and add a database. You can also skip that step and add one later while exploring the included Sample Database. The setup guide walks through each screen.

No. PikaPods sets up and runs Metabase for you, including OS and app updates and HTTPS. You won't touch Docker or a server. Your files and database stay accessible if you ever want to move them elsewhere.

Use Metabase in a current browser on a computer, tablet or phone; no separate client is required. It connects to databases including PostgreSQL, MySQL, MariaDB, SQLite, MongoDB, SQL Server, BigQuery, Redshift and Snowflake. The database must accept connections from your pod, and you need its hostname, credentials and other connection details. See the database connection guide.

Email delivery needs an SMTP account, Slack notifications need a Slack workspace and webhooks need a receiving endpoint. These services may charge separately. Metabase also analyzes your existing databases rather than including a hosted data warehouse, so any external database or data-provider costs remain yours. Read the alerts guide for notification options.

Set up incremental backups to S3 in your pod settings for automatic nightly snapshots, or download your files and database yourself. We keep whole-server backups for server failures, but they aren't a per-pod restore service, so your own backup is what protects your data.

You can use Metabase instead of Power BI and Tableau. PikaPods runs it for you, and you can move your files and database elsewhere.

Power BI is Microsoft's reporting product and fits closely with its other services. Metabase is simpler to start with: connect a database, then build questions in the browser with its query builder or SQL. It reads from a database you connect, so it won't replace a data pipeline, and paid features such as SSO need a Metabase license.

No. You add prepaid credit and your pods are billed by the hour from that balance, rounded up to full hours. There are no contracts or minimum terms: delete a pod anytime and billing stops. Optional automatic top-ups keep your pods running without manual payments.

You do. And you're in full control. If you ever want to download, migrate, edit or delete your data, just enable file and database access for your pod and it will be right there.