Supabase

The open source Firebase alternative

5.0•897 reviews•

58K followers

The open source Firebase alternative

5.0•897 reviews•

58K followers

Databases and backend frameworks

Supabase is an open-source backend-as-a-service that provides real-time databases, authentication, and API services. It enables developers to build and scale applications quickly without managing server infrastructure.

What's great

open source (27)easy setup (40)real-time capabilities (30)authentication features (62)PostgreSQL integration (46)

I used Supabase to build the backend for a subscription tracker app I launched recently, and two things stood out.

Row level security was the big one. I could enforce that each user only ever sees their own data at the database level, instead of trusting every query in my app code to filter correctly. That's a real security guarantee, not just a convenience.

Auth was the other win. Email and password plus Google OAuth were both straightforward to wire up, and the client libraries worked cleanly on both the server and client side in a Next.js app.

What needs improvement

The free tier's built-in email sending has a low rate limit, which I hit during testing before I connected my own SMTP provider. It makes sense as a limit, but it would help to see that called out more clearly upfront so new users don't discover it mid-project. Row level security is powerful, but writing policies correctly the first time took some trial and error. A few more worked examples for common patterns, like "a user can only see rows they own," would shorten that learning curve.

vs Alternatives

I looked at Firebase before settling on Supabase. Firebase felt easier to start with, but it's a NoSQL document store, and I wanted a real Postgres database with SQL and proper relational data. Row level security was the deciding factor: it gave me per-user data isolation enforced by the database itself, which Firebase's rules system can approximate but not in the same way.

Ratings

Ease of use

Reliability

Value for money

Customization

Report

93 views3mo ago

What's great

fast performance (20)developer experience (30)easy setup (40)seamless integration (18)scalable infrastructure (36)authentication features (62)PostgreSQL integration (46)

Built a full marketplace as a solo founder on Supabase (auth, postgres, RLS, storage, edge functions, realtime, serverless webpages). I'd have needed a small backend team to wire all of that up myself. Postgres underneath means I'm never locked in and never fighting a custom DSL.

RLS in particular is the unlock, security policies live next to the data, not buried in middleware that drifts out of sync.

What needs improvement

limited free tier (2)

Edge function cold starts are still slower than I'd like for user-facing calls. The dashboard's SQL editor is good but loses your unsaved query if you accidentally navigate away, would love a draft auto-save,

Oh, and the pricing jump from Pro to Enterprise is steep for solo founders who outgrow the free tier but don't need a whole org plan yet a middle "indie" tier would be welcome.

vs Alternatives

Looked at Firebase (no SQL, vendor lock-in), Pocketbase (single binary is great but no managed scaling), and rolling my own on raw Postgres +Hasura + custom auth.

Supabase wins because it gives you real Postgres with the production wiring already done, but doesn't hide the database

behind an opinion. Migrations are SQL files. Queries are SQL.

If I ever leave, I leave with my data and schema intact

Ratings

Ease of use

Reliability

Value for money

Customization

Report

172 views5mo ago

used Supabase to build FeedsBar

What's great

The backbone behind FeedsBar. 500 curated sources flow into Postgres, and one clean API serves every ticker. Rock solid, and it gets out of the way.

vs Alternatives

The backbone behind FeedsBar. 500 curated sources flow into Postgres, and one clean API serves every ticker. Rock solid, and it gets out of the way.

Report

15 views5d ago