Supabase is an open-source backend-as-a-service. It gives you a PostgreSQL database, authentication, file storage, real-time subscriptions, and auto-generated APIs — all from a dashboard. No backend code required for basic CRUD apps.

Think of it as the open-source alternative to Firebase, but built on PostgreSQL instead of a proprietary NoSQL database.

What you get

When you create a Supabase project, you instantly get:

• PostgreSQL database — full SQL, not a limited NoSQL store
• REST API — auto-generated from your tables
• Auth — email/password, OAuth (Google, GitHub, etc.), magic links
• Storage — file uploads with access control
• Real-time — subscribe to database changes via WebSockets
• Edge Functions — serverless functions (Deno)

How it works

Create a table in the dashboard (or with SQL), and Supabase auto-generates an API:

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

const supabase = createClient(
  'https://your-project.supabase.co',
  'your-anon-key'
);

// Read
const { data: posts } = await supabase
  .from('posts')
  .select('*')
  .order('created_at', { ascending: false });

// Insert
await supabase.from('posts').insert({ title: 'Hello', body: 'World' });

// Auth
await supabase.auth.signInWithOAuth({ provider: 'github' });

// Real-time
supabase
  .channel('posts')
  .on('postgres_changes', { event: 'INSERT', schema: 'public', table: 'posts' },
    (payload) => console.log('New post:', payload.new))
  .subscribe();

Supabase vs. Firebase

	Supabase	Firebase
Database	PostgreSQL (SQL)	Firestore (NoSQL)
Open source	Yes	No
Self-hostable	Yes	No
Pricing	Generous free tier	Pay-as-you-go
Querying	Full SQL, joins, aggregates	Limited NoSQL queries
Vendor lock-in	Low (it’s just PostgreSQL)	High

When to use Supabase

Good fit: MVPs, side projects, full-stack apps that need auth + database + storage without building a custom backend. Especially good if you want SQL and relational data.

Not ideal: apps that need complex server-side logic (use a custom backend), or if you need Firebase-specific features like Firebase Cloud Messaging.

See also: PostgreSQL cheat sheet | What is an API?