Supabase

Open-source Firebase alternative with real-time Postgres, storage, and auto-generated APIs.

• Official Website: supabase.com
• Category: Database & Backend-as-a-Service
• Type: Backend-as-a-Service (BaaS)

Overview

Supabase is an open-source Backend-as-a-Service that provides developers with a full PostgreSQL database, real-time change subscriptions, authentication, file storage, and auto-generated REST and GraphQL APIs.

Because queries can be executed directly from client-side JavaScript using public anonymous keys and protected with Postgres Row Level Security (RLS), static sites can build dynamic applications without running their own backend server.

Key Highlights & Features

• Full PostgreSQL Database: Enterprise-grade SQL database with relations and views.
• Auto-Generated REST APIs: Instant endpoints for querying, inserting, and updating data.
• Real-time Subscriptions: Listen to database changes over WebSockets instantly.
• File Storage: Upload and serve images and user assets with CDN caching.

How It Works with Static Websites

Query data directly from static HTML/JavaScript:

<script src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/npm/@supabase/supabase-js@2"></script>

<ul id="items-list"></ul>

<script>
  const supabase = window.supabase.createClient(
    "https://YOUR_PROJECT.supabase.co",
    "YOUR_ANON_PUBLIC_KEY"
  );

  async function loadData() {
    const { data: posts, error } = await supabase
      .from("posts")
      .select("title, created_at")
      .order("created_at", { ascending: false });

    if (posts) {
      document.getElementById("items-list").innerHTML = posts
        .map(p => `<li>${p.title}</li>`)
        .join("");
    }
  }

  loadData();
</script>

When to Use It

• Static sites needing user-generated content (reviews, job boards, community listings).
• Applications needing real-time collaborative updates or chat feeds.
• Developers wanting the reliability of Postgres without maintaining database servers.