Supabase is an open-source alternative to Firebase, aiming to provide developers with a backend-as-a-service (BaaS) solution. By using Supabase, developers can set up a backend for their applications without writing any code. The platform’s primary offerings are its real-time database and authentication services, along with various other features that help with application development.
Key Features
- Database: Every Supabase project comes with a full Postgres database, a globally renowned relational database system.
- Authentication: Easily integrate user sign-ups and logins while securing your data with Row Level Security.
- Storage: A comprehensive storage solution, suitable for large files including videos and images.
- Edge Functions: Allows developers to write custom code without the hassles of server deployment or scaling.
- Realtime: Enhance application interactivity with real-time data sharing, broadcasting, and reception between clients or the database.
- Vector: Seamless integration options for your preferred ML-models, offering storage, indexing, and searching for vector embeddings.
- Instant APIs: Supabase introspects your database to auto-generate APIs, eliminating the need for repetitive CRUD endpoint creation.
- Development Tools: Includes TypeScript support, local emulation, a CLI tool, installation from CDN, and more.
Use Cases
With features like real-time subscriptions, in-built SQL editors, user management, and instant APIs, Supabase is suitable for:
- Web and mobile applications requiring real-time data synchronization.
- Projects necessitating user authentication and robust data security.
- Developers aiming to reduce backend development time.
Pricing
- Free Plan ($0/month): Ideal for simple websites and passion projects. Includes features like unlimited API requests, 500MB database space, 1GB file storage, and community support.
- Pro Plan (From $25/month): Tailored for production applications with scaling options. Additional benefits like no project pausing, 8GB database space, and email support.
- Team Plan (From $599/month): Collaboration features with different permissions and access patterns. Extended benefits like 14-day backup retention, SOC2, and priority email support.
- Enterprise Plan (Custom pricing): For large-scale applications with serious workloads. Offers premium support, on-premise support, and private Slack channels among others.
For more information about their pricing, please visit the official Supabase pricing page.
User Experience
Supabase is user-friendly, designed to cater to both tech-savvy users and those with minimal database experience. The table editor simplifies Postgres usage, and tasks can be efficiently managed through the dashboard. Advanced users can take advantage of the in-built SQL editor for deeper control.
Customer Support
Support channels include community support, email support, and for select plans, a designated support manager.
Community and Learning Resources
Supabase offers extensive documentation and a regularly updated blog to assist users. Moreover, the community-driven model ensures a plethora of community-contributed resources.
Security and Reliability
Supabase is SOC2 Type 2 Certified and HIPAA Compliant. All customer data benefits from encryption, both at rest (with AES-256) and during transit (via TLS).
Integration
Supabase boasts a wide array of integrations spanning categories like API, Authentication, Caching/Offline-First, Data Platform, DevTools, and more. Notable integrations include CloudFlare Workers, Auth0, BaseDash, Appsmith, and OneSignal, to name a few.
Alternatives
- Google Firebase
- AWS Amplify
- Backendless
