Supabase

Supabase is an open-source Backend-as-a-Service (BaaS) that gives you a Postgres database, authentication, realtime subscriptions, storage, and serverless functions in one platform. It's like Firebase, but with a real relational database and open source.

Why Use Supabase

Real Postgres Database: Unlike Firebase's NoSQL database, Supabase gives you PostgreSQL - a mature, powerful relational database. You can use SQL, joins, stored procedures, and all the features Postgres offers.

Authentication Built In: User management, email/password auth, OAuth providers (Google, GitHub, etc.), magic links, and row-level security policies are all included. No need for a separate auth service.

Realtime Everything: Subscribe to database changes in realtime. When a row is inserted, updated, or deleted, all connected clients get notified instantly. Perfect for chat apps, dashboards, or collaborative tools.

Generous Free Tier: 500MB database, 1GB file storage, 50K monthly active users - enough to validate your idea and get your first users without paying anything.

Key Features

• Postgres Database - Full-featured SQL database with unlimited tables
• Authentication - Email, social providers, phone auth, magic links
• Row Level Security - Fine-grained access control at the database level
• Realtime Subscriptions - Listen to database changes in realtime
• Storage - File uploads with CDN delivery and image transformations
• Edge Functions - Write serverless functions in TypeScript/Deno
• Auto-generated APIs - REST and GraphQL APIs generated from your schema
• Database Migrations - Version control your database schema

Pricing for Solo Builders

Free Tier:

• 500 MB database space
• 1 GB file storage
• 50K monthly active users
• 2GB bandwidth
• Perfect for MVPs and side projects

Pro ($25/month):

• 8 GB database
• 100 GB file storage
• 100K monthly active users
• Better support and monitoring

Most solo builders can launch and grow on the free tier. Upgrade to Pro once you have paying customers.

Perfect For

• MVPs and SaaS products
• Apps that need authentication
• Real-time applications (chat, collaboration)
• Mobile apps (iOS, Android, React Native)
• Projects that need a structured database
• Alternatives to Firebase

What You Get Out of the Box

1. Database: Postgres with a web interface
2. Auth: User management and social login
3. Storage: File uploads with CDN
4. Realtime: WebSocket subscriptions
5. Functions: Serverless edge functions
6. Dashboard: Web interface to manage everything

Integration With Other Tools

Supabase works great with:

• Next.js or any frontend framework
• Vercel or Netlify for hosting
• Stripe for payments
• Resend for transactional emails

Getting Started

1. Sign up at supabase.com
2. Create a new project
3. Design your database schema in the Table Editor
4. Add authentication in the Auth section
5. Copy your API keys and connect from your app

The TypeScript client is excellent and works with any framework.

Code Example

import { createClient } from '@supabase/supabase-js'

const supabase = createClient(
  'YOUR_PROJECT_URL',
  'YOUR_ANON_KEY'
)

// Insert data
const { data, error } = await supabase
  .from('todos')
  .insert({ title: 'Build my SaaS', done: false })

// Realtime subscription
supabase
  .channel('todos')
  .on('postgres_changes',
    { event: '*', schema: 'public', table: 'todos' },
    payload => console.log('Change:', payload)
  )
  .subscribe()

When to Choose Something Else

Consider alternatives if you:

• Already know MongoDB well (use MongoDB Atlas)
• Need MySQL specifically (use PlanetScale)
• Want more control over infrastructure (use Railway with your own DB)
• Need advanced Firebase features like ML Kit

For most solo builders building web or mobile apps, Supabase offers the best balance of features, ease of use, and pricing.