Frequently Asked Questions
Quick answers to the questions we hear most often. If something is missing, check the troubleshooting guide or ask the community on GitHub.
Is Openbeehive free?
Yes. Openbeehive is open source under the AGPL-3.0 licence, so you are free to use, study, modify and self-host it.
The hosted service at app.openbeehive.org is free to use for now while the project is young. If that ever changes, you will always be able to export your data and run your own instance instead.
Is my data private?
Your records live on your own device first: the app stores everything in a local database on your phone, tablet or computer and syncs to the server in the background.
If you self-host, your data never leaves your own infrastructure. On the hosted service, your records are stored on our servers so they can sync between your devices, but they remain yours.
Want full control? See Self-hosting to run Openbeehive on your own hardware.
Does it work offline?
Yes, completely. Openbeehive is a Progressive Web App (PWA) that keeps a full copy of your data on the device. Reading and writing records is local and instant, so it works perfectly in an apiary with no signal.
When you regain connectivity, your changes sync automatically. Read more in Offline and sync.
Does it work on my phone?
Yes. Openbeehive runs in any modern browser and can be installed to your home screen so it behaves like an app. It works on phones, tablets and desktops. See Installing the app for the steps on each platform.
Is there a native app?
There is no separate native app in the App Store or Play Store today, and you do not need one. The installable PWA gives you an app icon, offline use and full-screen mode on iOS, Android, Windows, macOS and Linux from a single codebase.
Can I export my data?
Yes. Settings → Data & backup exports everything on your device as a full JSON backup, a spreadsheet (XLSX), CSV files in a ZIP, BeeXML, or a printable PDF report, and imports JSON, BeeXML and CSV from other apps. See Import & export. Self-hosters can also back up the server database directly; see Backups.
Can I self-host it?
Absolutely, and it is designed to be easy. There are two deployment profiles:
| Profile | Best for | Stack |
|---|---|---|
selfhost | Hobbyists, single user | A single binary, SQLite + local files, no Docker needed |
cloud | Multi-user, larger setups | Docker, PostgreSQL + S3/MinIO storage |
Start with the Quick start, or jump to the single binary guide.
For a private single-user instance you can disable login entirely. See Authentication.
How does sharing work?
Records are shared through tenants. Every account has a personal tenant and can be invited into others, for example a club's. Everyone in a tenant sees and edits all of its apiaries, hives and records; there is no per-apiary sharing. Sync is conflict-free, so two people editing in the same tenant on different devices do not overwrite each other's work. See Accounts & tenants.
What hive types are supported?
Openbeehive supports the most common frame and top-bar systems:
- Zander
- Dadant
- Deutsch Normal
- Langstroth
- Warré
- Top-bar
- Other
See Hive types for guidance on choosing.
How are queens marked?
Openbeehive follows the international queen marking colour scheme, based on the last digit of the year:
| Year ends in | Colour |
|---|---|
| 1 or 6 | White |
| 2 or 7 | Yellow |
| 3 or 8 | Red |
| 4 or 9 | Green |
| 5 or 0 | Blue |
The app picks the right colour for you automatically. Full details are on the queen marking colours page.
What are the QR labels for?
Each hive can have a printable QR label. Scanning it opens Openbeehive straight at that hive, so you can pull up its records in the apiary without typing or searching. See QR labels.
What languages is it available in?
Five languages ship in the app: English, German, French, Spanish and Italian. Switch under Settings → Language. Further translations are welcome as contributions.
Which databases and storage backends are supported?
When self-hosting, the backend is pluggable:
- Databases: PostgreSQL, MySQL or SQLite. See Databases.
- Blob storage: MinIO/S3-compatible object storage, or the local filesystem. See Storage.
How do I sign in?
The hosted service uses email and password accounts. Self-hosters can enable email/password accounts, add OIDC providers (Google, Keycloak, Authentik and similar), enable passkeys, or turn login off entirely for a single-user setup. See Authentication.
How do I report a bug or request a feature?
Please open an issue in the GitHub repository. Clear steps to reproduce, your platform and browser, and a screenshot all help.
The troubleshooting page may already cover common issues.
How can I contribute?
Contributions of all kinds are welcome: code, documentation, translations, bug reports and ideas. The stack is Go on the backend and a SvelteKit PWA on the frontend.
What version is this?
Releases are tagged on GitHub. Self-hosters run the tag they built or the image tag they pulled; see the upgrading guide when new versions land.