Lesson 01 / 9·7 minFree
What Is Supabase?
A whole backend as a managed service — and why that changes what solo builders can ship
Supabase gives you everything a web app backend needs, hosted and managed. You get a PostgreSQL database, user authentication, file storage, auto-generated REST and GraphQL APIs, and realtime subscriptions — without building or maintaining any of this yourself.
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Supabase is a furnished apartment vs building a house
Building a backend from scratch is building a house — you pour the foundation (server), put up walls (routing), install plumbing (database connection), and wire electricity (auth). Supabase is a furnished apartment — you show up, customise the layout, and move in. Everything already works.
What Supabase includes
- PostgreSQL database — Full Postgres — run any SQL query, create functions, use extensions like pgvector
- Authentication — Email/password, magic link, OAuth (Google, GitHub, Apple), phone OTP
- Row Level Security — Database-level rules: "users can only read their own rows"
- Storage — File uploads with access policies — profile photos, documents, assets
- Edge Functions — Serverless functions (TypeScript/Deno) that run near your users
- Realtime — Subscribe to database changes over WebSocket — live dashboards, chat, notifications
Supabase vs Firebase
- Supabase uses PostgreSQL — Firebase uses Firestore (NoSQL) — Supabase gives you a real relational database with joins, foreign keys, and full SQL
- Supabase is open source — You can self-host — you are not locked into the platform
- Firebase has more mature mobile SDKs — Firebase is stronger for mobile-first apps; Supabase is stronger for web apps
- Supabase is cheaper at scale — Supabase Pro starts at $25/mo; Firebase can become expensive as reads scale