BaseHarbor is an open-source application infrastructure and lifecycle platform. Applications declare what they need once, while BaseHarbor manages PostgreSQL, Valkey, secrets, TLS, backup/restore, readiness and lifecycle operations. The current runtime is Docker Compose, with Kubernetes and OpenShift planned behind the same application contract. The key idea: hide operational complexity without hiding standard interfaces or locking applications to a proprietary SDK.

How did Astra change the scope or ambition of what you built?

Astra helped me push BaseHarbor beyond a simple Docker Compose helper into a broader application lifecycle platform. I used it to explore and refine the architecture, implementation paths, validation logic and the provider-neutral contract behind BaseHarbor. That made it practical to think beyond the current Compose runtime and design toward Kubernetes and OpenShift without changing how applications consume infrastructure. The result is a more ambitious platform: not just managing containers, but defining a stable application contract across different runtime environments.

Hi Product Hunt, I’m Marcel, the creator of BaseHarbor. I started building it because I wanted a cleaner way to move an application from a local Docker Compose setup toward more serious environments without constantly changing how the application consumes its infrastructure. BaseHarbor lets applications declare what they need once, while keeping normal interfaces such as PostgreSQL URLs, Redis-compatible endpoints, environment variables and files. The current release focuses on Docker Compose and includes PostgreSQL, Valkey, OpenBao-managed secrets, TLS, backup/restore, readiness checks and lifecycle operations. Kubernetes and OpenShift are planned behind the same application contract. The project is open source under Apache-2.0 and developed with a heavily AI-assisted engineering workflow, while architecture, requirements, review and release decisions remain human-controlled. I’m especially interested in technical feedback: What would BaseHarbor need before you would trust it for a real application? GitHub: https://github.com/mcpdev80/base...

How did Astra change the scope or ambition of what you built?

BaseHarbor

Declare app infrastructure once. Avoid platform lock-in.

Declare app infrastructure once. Avoid platform lock-in.