Does Grist need a separate database?
No. The container writes documents and metadata into its /persist volume as SQLite files. A Postgres home database and Redis are optional settings for a larger install.
Grist: Spreadsheet-Database Documents
Keep budgets, inventories and project lists in documents where a cell can reference a row from another table and formulas run in Python. Each document is stored as a file in a folder you choose, so it moves or backs up like any other file.
Compare with similar apps
How Grist stacks up against other productivity apps. Add or remove apps to change the comparison.
| Requirement | Grist | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | Free + Paid | Free + Paid | Free + Paid |
| Web UI | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Architecture | x86 + ARM | x86 + ARM | x86 + ARM |
| Min hardware | 2 CPUs · 8 GB RAM · 20 GB | Not stated | 2 vCPU · 2 GB RAM · 10 GB |
| Containers | 1The app alone | Worth checking: 10Plus Caddy, Celery, Celery export worker, Celery beat worker, Email receiver, Postgres, Redis, Volume permissions fixer, Web frontend | 1The app alone |
| Database | SQLite | Postgres | SQLite |
| Runtime | Node.js | Python | Node.js |
| Docker | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Linux package | Yes | – | – |
| Full comparison | This app | Baserow vs Grist | – |
Common questions
Can Grist documents use Python formulas?
Yes. Formulas are written in Python, and the gvisor sandbox keeps them away from the network and from other documents. Sandboxing needs a processor with the XSAVE flag, which means Sandy Bridge or later on x86.
Is self-hosted Grist free?
Yes, the Community edition is Apache-2.0 and free to run. The full edition adds SSO, automations, email notifications and admin controls, and needs an activation key once its 30-day trial ends.
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