supabase.html

Supabase

Postgres-based platform: database, auth, storage, edge functions, realtime, vectors. Open source.

VISIT SUPABASE

Quick facts

  • CategoryPostgres
  • EnginePostgres
  • PricingFreemium
  • LicenseApache-2.0
  • Created2020
  • GitHub stars86.4k
  • PostgresCompatible
  • Edge-readyNo

Bundled features: Auth Storage Edge Functions Realtime Vector (pgvector)

What it is

Supabase is the open-source Firebase alternative built around Postgres. Database with auto-generated REST + GraphQL APIs, auth, storage, edge functions, realtime subscriptions, pgvector for embeddings. The default for full-stack JS apps that want owned-data and Postgres ergonomics.

Best for

  • Full-stack apps that need database + auth + storage + functions in one platform
  • Postgres + RLS workloads where row-level security is the primary access control
  • Vector search + RAG apps using pgvector inside the same database
  • Migrating off Firebase to a Postgres-shape data model

When not to pick it

Skip Supabase for very high-write, low-latency workloads where Postgres is the wrong shape — pick Cloudflare D1 / Turso for edge or MongoDB Atlas for document-heavy data.

My take

Supabase is the default platform for most full-stack JS / TS apps in 2026. The trade-off is the platform pull — once you adopt Supabase, you tend to use Supabase Auth, Storage, Edge Functions, etc. That is fine if you want Postgres at the centre.

Links

Compare Supabase side-by-side

Supabase vs Neon → Supabase vs Firebase Firestore → Supabase vs PlanetScale → Supabase vs Convex → Supabase vs Xata → Supabase vs CockroachDB →

Similar tools you should also consider

Neon

Serverless Postgres with branching, scale-to-zero, and a deep separation of compute and storage.

Read the take →

Xata

Serverless Postgres with a higher-level data model layer. Search, file attachments, branching included.

Read the take →

Firebase Firestore

Google's document database with real-time sync and tight Firebase-platform integration.

Read the take →

If Supabase is your pick — the next conversation is short

The 30-min call is where your database choice becomes a real architecture, a migration plan if you are switching, and a price range you can take to your stakeholders. Describe your stack, your scale, your data shape. I tell you whether Supabase is genuinely your fit.