Glossary
What Is Supabase?
Supabase is an open-source Firebase alternative built on Postgres — it provides a database, authentication, storage, real-time subscriptions, and Edge Functions from one platform.
Supabase gives you a hosted Postgres database plus auth, storage, and real-time — the full backend for a SaaS MVP without managing infrastructure.
Core features:
- Postgres database — SQL, joins, foreign keys, full relational model
- Row-Level Security — access control at the database level
- Supabase Auth — email/password, OAuth, magic links
- Realtime — subscribe to database changes in the client
- Edge Functions — serverless Deno functions for custom backend logic
- Storage — file uploads with access policies
Supabase vs Firebase: Firebase uses NoSQL (Firestore). Supabase uses Postgres — better for relational data, multi-tenancy, and any app that needs SQL.
Why it's popular for MVPs: You get a production-grade Postgres database, auth, and real-time for free up to the hobby tier. No DevOps, no server management.
I use Supabase in: BookBed, Pizzeria Bestek, Callidus, this portfolio's chat API.
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