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Supabase

by Supabase Inc. · Platform

Open-source backend platform built around a dedicated PostgreSQL database with auto-generated APIs, authentication, file storage, realtime subscriptions and edge functions

Apache-2.0 licenseOpen sourceFreemiumPaidUsage-basedEnterpriseCloudSelf-hostedSelf-hostable
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Link verified Nov 2, 2026

Overview

Supabase is a backend-as-a-service from Supabase Inc. that gives each project a full PostgreSQL database and surrounds it with components assembled largely from open-source projects: PostgREST exposes tables as a REST API, GoTrue handles email, passwordless, OAuth and mobile sign-in, Storage manages large files with Postgres row-level-security policies, Realtime streams database changes over WebSockets, and Edge Functions run Deno-based code close to users. The pgvector extension is available for embeddings, and a dashboard provides a SQL editor, table view and auth management.

The main repository is Apache-2.0 and the whole stack can be self-hosted with Docker Compose, though the hosted service with its free tier is how most teams use it. Client libraries exist for JavaScript and TypeScript, Flutter, Swift, Python and other languages.

Because features lean on PostgreSQL mechanisms such as row-level security, design mistakes in policies translate directly into data exposure, and the self-hosted stack has many moving parts to operate and upgrade.

Editorial note on uncertainty. license_spdx applies to the main supabase/supabase repository; component projects (PostgREST, GoTrue, Realtime) carry their own open-source licenses.

Capabilities

  • Dedicated PostgreSQL database per project with extensions including pgvector
  • Auto-generated REST and GraphQL APIs via PostgREST and pg_graphql
  • Authentication with email, OAuth providers, magic links and row-level security
  • File storage with policy-based access
  • Realtime change streams and broadcast channels
  • Edge Functions on Deno and a CLI for local development and migrations

Typical workflows

  1. Build a web or mobile app backend without writing server code
  2. Store embeddings in pgvector next to application data
  3. Self-host the stack with Docker Compose for data control

Strengths

  • Standard PostgreSQL with no proprietary query layer
  • Apache-2.0 repository and self-hosting option
  • Hosted free tier and generated client libraries

Limitations

  • Security depends on correctly written row-level-security policies
  • Self-hosting requires operating many services
  • Some dashboard features are hosted-only or lag self-hosted

Prerequisites

  • Supabase account or a Docker host for self-hosting

Who it is for

  • Full-stack and mobile developers
  • Startups needing a backend quickly

Alternatives & comparison

Neon provides serverless PostgreSQL with branching but leaves auth, storage and APIs to add-ons or the application; plain PostgreSQL offers the database alone. Vercel hosts the front end and functions and is commonly paired with either.

  • Keycloak

    Open-source identity and access management server providing single sign-on with OpenID Connect, OAuth 2.0 and SAML, user federation and fine-grained authorization

    Open sourceOpen source
  • MongoDB

    Document database storing BSON documents with a rich aggregation pipeline, available as a source-available Community Server or the managed Atlas service

    Source-availableFree
  • Neon

    Serverless PostgreSQL service with separated storage and compute, instant database branching and scale-to-zero, now part of Databricks

    MixedFreemium
  • PostgreSQL

    Open-source object-relational database server with a large extension ecosystem (PostGIS, pgvector, TimescaleDB) and broad SQL coverage

    Open sourceOpen source
  • Vercel

    Front-end cloud from the makers of Next.js that deploys web applications from git with preview environments, serverless and edge functions and a global CDN

    ProprietaryFreemium
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Sources & verification

Primary sources consulted for this record. Claims are tied to the fields each source supports; the automated link checker re-verifies every URL on a schedule.

Confidence
High
Reviewed
Nov 1, 2026
Links
Verified · Nov 2, 2026

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