Supabase
Supabase is an open-source alternative to Firebase. It provides a complete backend-as-a-service (BaaS) built on PostgreSQL, with everything a modern app needs: database, auth, storage, functions and realtime.
What you get
- Postgres Database: a full, powerful relational database with extension support (pgvector for AI, postgis for GIS).
- Auth: a ready-made authentication system. Email/password, Magic Links, OAuth (Google, GitHub, Apple and more), MFA, automatic RLS.
- Storage: file storage with CDN and image transformations.
- Realtime: subscriptions to DB changes via WebSockets.
- Edge Functions: Deno-based functions running close to the user.
- Vector Search: built in for AI applications (RAG, semantic search).
Key advantage: real Postgres. You get the full power of SQL, complex joins, indexes, triggers, functions, and the ability to move to a self-hosted solution at any time. No vendor lock-in.
Supabase fits startups, MVPs and internal projects perfectly. A free tier with 500MB DB and 1GB storage, a paid Pro tier, and the option for full self-hosting.
On this site itself, Supabase serves as the backend for several of our applications.
