Frequently Asked Questions
What is PieHost?
PieHost is a developer cloud and marketplace that gives software teams everything they need to build, deploy, and scale applications from a single platform. Instead of juggling multiple providers, you can manage your infrastructure and hire vetted developers in one place.
Do I need separate accounts for each service?
No. One PieHost account gives you access to all products: PieSocket, PieApp, PieDB, PieMail, PieBucket, PieCache, PieMongo, PieGres, and PieBox.
Is there a free tier?
Yes. PieSocket, PieMail, and most other services include a free plan that lets you get started without a credit card. Paid plans unlock higher limits and production-grade features.
Where are PieHost servers located?
PieHost operates clusters across multiple regions. You can choose your preferred region when creating a resource to minimize latency for your users.
What is PieSocket?
PieSocket is a managed WebSocket and realtime service. It lets you subscribe to events on the client side and publish events from your server or directly from the client, enabling serverless realtime applications.
PieSocket delivers billings of realtime messages everyday and has years of experience in doing so.
Which platforms does PieSocket support?
PieSocket ships official SDKs for JavaScript (Web), Android, iOS (Swift), Flutter, and React Native. Laravel Echo integration is also supported. Any other platform can connect using the WebSocket API.
Can I self-host PieSocket?
Yes. PieSocket can be deployed on-premises. See the Self-hosted guide for setup instructions.
How do I migrate from Pusher?
PieSocket is Pusher-compatible. In-fact PieSocket is the best alternative for Pusher or Ably like realtime services that cost a lot.
Follow the Migrate from Pusher guide — in most cases it is a configuration change only.
Does PieSocket support audio and video calls?
Yes. PieSocket includes WebRTC-powered portals for one-to-one calls, many-to-many conferencing, one-to-many broadcasting, and screen sharing. See the WebRTC guide.
How do I authenticate WebSocket connections?
PieSocket supports token-based authentication. See the Authentication guide for details on securing channels with JWT tokens.
What types of applications can I host on PieApp?
PieApp supports static frontend sites, PHP applications (Laravel, WordPress, and custom PHP), and NodeJS applications.
Does PieApp support cronjobs?
Yes. You can configure scheduled tasks for your application from the PieApp dashboard. See the Cronjobs guide.
How do I configure my application?
PieApp uses a pie.json configuration file at the root of your project. See the Configuration guide for all available options.
Does PieApp autoscale?
Yes. PieApp includes built-in autoscaling — your application automatically handles traffic spikes without manual intervention.
What version of MySQL does PieDB support?
PieDB runs managed MySQL with automatic backups, monitoring, and scaling. Check your dashboard for the exact version available in your region.
How do I connect to my PieDB instance?
Connection credentials (host, port, username, password, database name) are available in your PieHost dashboard after creating a PieDB instance.
What can I use PieMail for?
PieMail handles both transactional email (password resets, notifications, receipts) and marketing email (campaigns, cadences). It provides a managed SMTP server and a REST API.
Does PieMail have sending limits?
Yes, 50 emails per day are allowed (for testing purposes) until you open a support ticket to request a higher limit.
How do I integrate PieMail with my application?
You can use PieMail via standard SMTP credentials or the REST API. See the PieMail overview for setup details.
What is PieBucket?
PieBucket is S3-compatible object storage for files, images, videos, and other assets. It integrates with standard S3 SDKs and tools.
Is PieBucket publicly accessible?
Buckets can be configured as public or private. You can generate pre-signed URLs to grant temporary access to private objects.
What is PieCache?
PieCache is a managed Redis server for caching, session storage, queues, and pub/sub use cases.
Which Redis features are supported?
PieCache exposes the standard Redis API. Most data structures and commands (strings, hashes, lists, sets, sorted sets, pub/sub) are supported.
What is PieMongo?
PieMongo is a managed MongoDB service. It handles provisioning, backups, and monitoring so you can focus on your data.
What is PieGres?
PieGres is a managed PostgreSQL service with automated backups and monitoring.
What is PieBox?
PieBox provides virtual cloud servers (VPS) that give you full root access to a Linux environment. Use it when you need more control than managed app hosting provides.
What operating systems are available?
Common Linux distributions are available. Check your dashboard for the current image options.
I got unexpected Invoice
Visit your Pie.host Dashboard and delete any paid active resources you see there to prevent future invoices, contact support if you need any invoice voided.
How do I delete my account
You can delete your account by visiting Pie.host account settings page.
How do I get help?
Post your question in the PieHost Community — our team and other developers monitor it daily. You can also browse the documentation using the sidebar.
Where do I report a bug?
Use the Community section to report bugs or unexpected behaviour, or contact support directly from your dashboard.