Glossary

What Is Supabase?

Supabase Platform

Supabase is an open-source Firebase alternative built on PostgreSQL. It provides a database, authentication, file storage, edge functions, and real-time subscriptions — everything needed for a backend, accessible through auto-generated APIs and client libraries.

How Supabase Works

Supabase auto-generates a REST API and GraphQL API from your PostgreSQL schema. Create a table, and you immediately have CRUD endpoints with row-level security. The JavaScript client library makes it feel like a backend SDK: supabase.from('posts').select('*').eq('published', true).

Real-time subscriptions push database changes to clients instantly — build chat, live dashboards, or collaborative features without WebSocket boilerplate. Auth supports email/password, OAuth, magic links, and phone auth out of the box.

Key Concepts

  • Auto-Generated APIs — Create database tables and get REST + GraphQL APIs instantly — no backend code needed
  • Row-Level Security — PostgreSQL policies that control which rows each user can read/write — security at the database level
  • Real-Time — Subscribe to database changes and receive updates in real time via WebSockets
  • Edge Functions — Serverless TypeScript functions running on Deno — for custom backend logic

Learn Supabase — Top Videos

Supabase Educators

Frequently Asked Questions

Supabase vs Firebase?

Supabase uses PostgreSQL (SQL, relational) while Firebase uses Firestore (NoSQL). Supabase is open-source and portable. Firebase has better mobile SDKs and ML integrations. For SQL-first projects, Supabase wins.

Is Supabase free?

Free tier includes 500MB database, 1GB file storage, 50K monthly active users. Generous for side projects and MVPs.

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Related Terms

PostgreSQLFirebaseAuthenticationServerlessPrisma

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