How to Build Your Own balena
Replace balena with a custom build. Powerful IoT device management made simple
Build Difficulty: 4/5
A few focused days to build a solid replacement
Estimated Timeline
Based on 31 features at Few Days difficulty, expect about 3-5 days with AI-assisted development.
Recommended Tech Stack
Full-stack React framework with API routes and server components
PostgreSQL database, auth, and real-time subscriptions
Utility-first styling for rapid UI development
Key Features to Replicate
Top features across 8 categories. See all 31 features
Device Management(6 features)
Filter devices depending on your needs and pin them to different releases as needed
Seamlessly add and configure devices for your fleet with unique IDs and network configuration
Organize your fleet with tags and filters for better management and grouping
Perform actions on groups of devices simultaneously instead of managing them individually
Remotely configure and troubleshoot individual devices from the dashboard
+1 more in this category
Security & Compliance(5 features)
Meet new regulations like the CRA with SBOM tracking and risk detection capabilities
Software Bill of Materials tracking for regulatory compliance and risk detection
Secure decommissioning of devices at end of life as part of the device lifecycle
Hardware-level hardening and minimal attack surface to secure devices
Built-in vulnerability management and failsafe remote updates for resilience
Deployment(3 features)
Automatically build Docker images in the cloud when you push your code
Docker container technology for safe, secure, and reliable updates to devices
Preload your image with your application code for even faster startup and device provisioning
Developer Tools(3 features)
Complete API and software development kit for integrating balena into custom workflows and applications
Develop locally to get fast feedback with familiar developer tools and iterate at web speed
Develop applications using Node.js, Python, Golang, or any language of your choice with 26,000+ IoT-focused base images
Monitoring & Logging(3 features)
View the status and monitor deployments across your fleet in the balenaCloud Dashboard
Monitor the health of your fleet from the balenaCloud dashboard
View and access device logs from the balenaCloud dashboard for troubleshooting and monitoring
Updates & Maintenance(3 features)
Minimize bandwidth usage and deliver fast updates through application-level delta changes
Update the OS on devices remotely from the dashboard
Robust and resilient over-the-air updates for your fleet, managed remotely using the balenaCloud dashboard
User & Access Management(2 features)
Multiple permission levels including Observer (read-only), Operator, Developer, and Admin roles
Invite and manage team members with different permission roles (Observer, Operator, Developer, Admin)
Enterprise Features(1 features)
balenaCloud Dedicated Instance provides a fully managed, single-tenant environment for data privacy and compliance
Cost Calculator
Keep Paying balena
Build It Yourself
Total Cost Comparison
DIY hosting estimate based on Vercel + Supabase free/pro tiers (~$20/mo). Build time estimated from 31 features at easy complexity.