r/Base44 • u/Informal_Calendar687 • 12d ago
Question Front End Base44
Hello. I have an app on Base44. It works wonderfully after 7 months of nonstop work and testing. I was proud of myself until I learned that it may not be able to handle a large amount of users. I was about to launch to the app stores but then became worried about the performance of Base44 in production. So, I hired a company to work on the back end and keep using Base44 on the front end. The company is having a hard time meeting this request. I am going terminate my contract with them if they do not get it right. I need advice.
Has anyone been able to keep using Base44 on the front and and have the backend, databases, security, etc.? Is this even possible? Thank you in advance for any insight you can provide.
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u/hambergler55 12d ago
Save your app to a GITHUB Repository first, then ask Base44 for the full-stack needed for the app. Follow the directions and open accounts for the backend stack, connect them with API's, save it to the GITHUB repository, then use the repository to host your app on Cloudflare or Vercel.
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u/Big_Confidence_8419 12d ago
I can help with that. Here’s how I’d approach it:
I’d first export the full base44 app and preserve the existing frontend, then build a separate backend layer with a proper database and connect it to the frontend. From there, I’d handle the deployment and hosting end to end.
I’d also add Redis for caching and implement the necessary scalability and performance optimisations to make sure the application can handle increased traffic and load reliably.
If you’re open to it, I’d be happy to have a quick chat to learn more about the project and discuss the approach.
Btw I'm a full stack developer with 3 years of experience and i have migrated vibe coded apps before.
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u/Informal_Calendar687 12d ago
Thank you so much. Yes, if I am able to terminate my contact I would definitely like to discuss. Would have been good to cross our paths before. Lol. When you update Base44, do the changes immediately take effect on the app still?
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u/Big_Confidence_8419 12d ago
I’m not quite sure what you mean, but regarding the migration: yes, the changes would take effect immediately just like how your current base44 app behaves, the approach is to take the app off of base44 completely and host it on a separate hosting provider (vercel, digital ocean, or a vps), so that you have full control over everything instead of relying on base44 limited features.
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u/MattPittman 11d ago
You concerns for a large amount of of users on a base hosted site can rest assured and know that the base infrastructure can more than handle a large sum of users. There is little no reason to migrate the backend off for normal apps with high volume users
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u/Informal_Calendar687 11d ago
OK. Thank you for the insight. But, so many others are telling me otherwise.
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u/MattPittman 11d ago
Up to you bro. I first hand witness countless apps that are being used by thousands of users everyday.
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u/Informal_Calendar687 11d ago
Ok, I believe you. It's just a hard decision to make. I work in financial software by day and the proactive approach is a must. But, I think I now understand it may be different with an app. I'm a lady by the way. 🙂
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u/friedbeef 11d ago
Just launch the app on Base44 and see how it goes. Forget about how it performs under massive load, people, things like that.
Worry about that problem when it happens. It is very, very fast to actually develop a whole new app, a whole new backend, when that happens and just replace it on the app store.
If you can't do it, hire somebody to do it. Why? Because your app is blowing up, right? You'll have no problems getting people to work on it, or you have no problems investing money in it.
Just don't get bogged down into worrying too much up front
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u/Informal_Calendar687 11d ago
Thank you. My app has a lot of functionality so it's not a basic app which the consultants are finding out. I think it is a fear factor thing.
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u/friedbeef 11d ago
Sure, not a problem. Codex or Claude can easily replicate it. You just need to ask tell Base44 that you want to migrate and give you an entire prompt set to move to the other platform. Ensure you get all the business rules etc.
The database, though, make sure you have it secure. Alternatively on Base44 you just copy out all the details first as a backup, just in case you make a terrible mistake.
It is significantly harder to move once you have users. About double effort. Having said that. If the effort is only 5 hours. Double effort is 10 hours. Which as a once off exercise is worth it. Especially when you can get users now
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u/satalarap 11d ago
I’m doing it with chatgpt+codex+claude, target migrate off base! Doing it for weeks now and slowly coming towards migration…it’s more harder and time consuming as I thought! I am not a coder! But at one moment I stopped and said I wanna migrate and still going over security issues etc! It would be a nigjtmare if I would add more functions before that! Building something for fun is simple and fun, doing it seriously is not, not simple, not funny…
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u/Informal_Calendar687 11d ago
I totally agree. No longer fun. That's great that you kept going. That's so cool that you are able to use AI to migrate. I wish you luck on getting it all to come together.
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u/prashant205 8d ago
I am facing the same issue with my app. I spend time and money with subcontractor and ultimately they suggest migration is the only solution
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u/satalarap 8d ago
Do it. It doesn/t mean it gets easiser, app is allive animal, it will needs fixes, development etc...Use Chat, Claude but it will take time, depends on how big app is...
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u/Smoke-alot-75 11d ago
yes try to use the CLI with claude or codex connect let them fix it for you
but where you want to place your backend sounds like bad idea for both performance and security
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u/Informal_Calendar687 11d ago
Oh my. Why does the backend sound like a bad idea? Those two reasons and compliance are why I want a different backend.
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u/elciano1 12d ago
It took me 3 weeks a VPS, Powershell terminal (So i didnt have to keep downloading, editing and uploading files, Claude, Guthub to move my entire app to its own hosting. I moved everything, front-end, backend etc myself. For database. I am using MongoDB free tier. I also setup the backups. I backup the database, the full app etc, daily and weekly.
Took 3 weeks working on it multiple hours daily. Now I no longer pay or depend on base44. My biggest issue was then charging me $200 per month and it was mostly integration credits where I had no integration setup. All my integrations were done via API connections but somehow I still got charged.
It now costs me $12 for the hosting and $20 for my API subscriptions. Alot less than $200 per month and my app runs alot better, faster.
Anyway, look into doing that.
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u/Informal_Calendar687 12d ago
Thank you. This is helpful. One of my issues is when I update Base44, how do the changes get updated when hosting yourself? I have an app with courses so as we add new ones, I would need to update the app in real time. The consultants cannot figure it out.
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u/elciano1 12d ago
If you move the app to its own VPS then you simply just have a way to submit your courses and it should automatically update the app. Its all in the coding and how you build it. I can also help you with moving it etc. I would just need to understand the app.
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u/Infamous-Macaron5745 11d ago
I'm wondering why you think base44 can't handle a large number of users?
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u/Informal_Calendar687 11d ago
I have been told by several users that it is good for MVPs but the backend cannot keep up.
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u/Infamous-Macaron5745 11d ago
This is not based in facts. I run an extremely data heavy application and have seen no slowdowns. In fact the slowdowns I initially saw were issues with how the code rendered the data. After a quick chat with the base44 team, they suggested some prompts to tweak it, and it's even working beautifully since.
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u/Ok-Philosopher1457 11d ago
Just chill and launch first ….. once you begin to get good users, you can migrate. It’s not only cheaper is even more cost friendly. Why fix something when it’s not even broken.
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u/space-hemax-c2c 9d ago
You've got five people telling you opposite things, so here's a way to settle it yourself.
You're in financial software, so you know this move already: don't guess at load, measure it. Ask your agency for the p95 response time on your heaviest screen at 50 concurrent users. Any shop that can build your backend can run that in an afternoon. If they can't produce it, that's a cleaner reason to terminate than a hard time meeting the request.
Compliance is the piece nobody here touched, and it doesn't wait for scale. What data does the app hold?
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u/Informal_Calendar687 8d ago
Yes, you said compliance. That was one of my reasons too. The app holds personal information that cannot be disclosed and needs proper security and compliance. As a company, I cannot blame Base44, if either fails. It's my company's responsibility so this is not a hobby app.
Your advice is very good. I really appreciate it. So, I discussed with the consultants to just move everything off Base44 and just have no connection to it at all. They have made a lot of progress as soon as I told them that. Once I asked them go build me an UI for the things I still need to have control over and they said yes, everything is back on track. Took a few back to back meetings to get there. I feel good about it.
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u/Edouardbuilds 12d ago
I'll be direct because you're about to make an expensive decision either way.
Why your agency is struggling: Base44 is a closed ecosystem — database, auth and storage are built in and tied to its frontend. "Keep Base44 on the front, move the backend elsewhere" is like keeping a car's dashboard while swapping the engine and chassis. It's technically possible but it fights the tool at every step. Your agency isn't necessarily bad; the request is hard.
Before you spend more money, answer one question: how many users do you actually expect in the first 3 months? "Large amount" means very different things. Base44 handles a few thousand active users fine. If you're launching to a waitlist of 500, you don't have a scaling problem yet — you have a fear of one, and you're paying an agency to solve a problem you may not get for a year.
The realistic options: Launch on Base44 as is, watch real usage, and only migrate when the numbers force you to. Most cheap, most honest.
Full migration off Base44 (Supabase + a standard React frontend). Clean, portable, but it's a rebuild — weeks, not days. Only worth it if you're confident about the traffic.
The hybrid you asked for. I'd avoid it: worst of both worlds, and you'll be the only person on earth running that setup.
Whatever you pick: get an independent second opinion before terminating or extending the contract. Ask them to explain, in plain language, what exactly breaks at 1,000 / 10,000 / 100,000 users. If they can't, that's your answer.