Supabase

Definitions

1. Supabase is an open-source backend-as-a-service platform that provides a suite of tools built on top of PostgreSQL, offering an alternative to Firebase with the benefits of a relational database. Its core features include a PostgreSQL database with a RESTful API automatically generated from the schema (via PostgREST), real-time subscriptions using PostgreSQL's LISTEN/NOTIFY, authentication with social login providers and magic links, file storage with built-in CDN, and edge functions for serverless compute. Because Supabase uses PostgreSQL rather than a NoSQL document store, developers get full SQL support, foreign keys, joins, transactions, and the mature PostgreSQL extension ecosystem including PostGIS for geospatial data. Row-level security policies in PostgreSQL handle authorization at the database level. Supabase can be self-hosted or used as a managed cloud service. It has gained popularity in the developer community for rapid prototyping and production applications, particularly among teams that prefer SQL and relational data modeling over NoSQL approaches.

   In plain English: An open-source alternative to Google's Firebase, built on top of a real PostgreSQL database. It gives you authentication, real-time updates, and file storage out of the box.

Related Terms

• Postgres
• Redis
• connection pool
• PyPI
• pgBouncer