Skip to main content
FerretDB is a MongoDB-compatible database that is open source and free to use. It serves as a drop-in replacement for MongoDB, converting MongoDB wire protocol queries to SQL and using PostgreSQL as its backend storage engine. For organizations that require a 100% open-source stack, FerretDB provides a truly open-source MongoDB-compatible database alternative—free from SSPL licensing restrictions—allowing you to run GrowthBook without any proprietary database dependencies.

​
Install FerretDB

Follow the the FerretDB installation guide to install FerretDB. Make sure your FerretDB instance is running and accessible before proceeding.

​
Start GrowthBook with FerretDB

Replace username, password, and <ferretdb-host> with your FerretDB connection details.
Container network accessEnsure that the FerretDB instance is accessible to the GrowthBook container. If both are running in Docker, make sure they’re on the same network.

​
Launch GrowthBook

That’s it! GrowthBook is now running with FerretDB. Access it at http://localhost:3000. GrowthBook will automatically create the necessary collections in FerretDB to manage:
  • User authentication and permissions
  • Feature flags and their configurations
  • Metrics and experiments
  • Organization settings and metadata

​
Verify the Connection

After setting up GrowthBook, you can verify that data is being stored correctly in FerretDB by:
  • Creating a feature flag or experiment in GrowthBook
  • Connecting to your FerretDB instance using a MongoDB client
  • Checking the growthbook database for collections like experiments, features, and users

​
Additional Resources