Compare Fusio to PostgREST

This page compares Fusio, an open-source API management platform focused on building and managing APIs, with PostgREST, an open-source tool that instantly exposes a PostgreSQL database as a RESTful API. While both tools work with relational data, they fulfill very different use cases in the API ecosystem.

🔍 Feature Comparison

Feature	Fusio	PostgREST
Type	API management platform	REST API generator for PostgreSQL
Primary Use Case	Build, manage, secure, customize APIs	Auto-generate REST API from PostgreSQL schema
Open Source	✅ Yes (Apache 2.0)	✅ Yes (MIT)
Self-Hosted	✅ Yes (Docker/Composer)	✅ Yes (single binary)
Database Support	Multiple SQL databases	PostgreSQL only
API Generation	Custom definitions + CRUD generator	Automatic from database schema
Authentication	Built-in OAuth2	JWT & PostgreSQL role based
OpenAPI Documentation	✅ Auto-generated	⚠️ Auto-generated OpenAPI spec endpoint
Custom Logic	PHP/JS/SQL actions	PostgreSQL stored procedures only
Extensibility	High (actions/plugins)	Limited to database functions/views

🎯 Key Differences

The main difference between Fusio and PostgREST lies in how they approach API creation and flexibility.

Fusio is a full API management platform designed to help developers define, implement, secure, and document APIs with control and extensibility:

Create structured REST APIs with custom logic across multiple SQL databases
Manage access and security with a built-in OAuth2 server
Automatically generate OpenAPI documentation for APIs
Implement backend workflows using PHP, JavaScript, or SQL actions
Customize behavior far beyond simple CRUD operations

Fusio is built for API lifecycle management, custom business logic, and developer workflows.

PostgREST is a lightweight, database-first REST API generator that turns your PostgreSQL database into a RESTful API with minimal setup:

Automatically expose tables, views, and stored procedures as REST endpoints
Respect PostgreSQL role-based access control and JWT authentication
Serve APIs with minimal overhead between database and HTTP layer
Delegate logic to PostgreSQL functions and database constraints

PostgREST focuses on instant API generation from PostgreSQL schemas with very little custom backend code.

📌 When to Choose Which

Choose Fusio if:

You need full control over how your APIs are defined and behave
You want built-in API management features like OAuth2, rate limits, versioning, and documentation
Your project requires custom logic and business workflows beyond basic CRUD
You need to support multiple database backends (MySQL, PostgreSQL, SQLite, etc.)
You want an API platform with developer portals and lifecycle tools

Fusio is ideal for complex API systems, enterprise needs, and long-term maintainable backend APIs.

Choose PostgREST if:

You are working exclusively with PostgreSQL
You want a zero-boilerplate REST API directly from your database schema
You are comfortable defining logic through SQL stored procedures and database constraints
You want to rapidly prototype or build database-centric applications
You don't need extensive API management tooling or custom middleware

PostgREST excels for data-driven applications and internal tools where database schema is the primary source of truth.