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Alex Spinov
Alex Spinov

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Supabase Has a Free Postgres — Auth, Storage, Edge Functions, and Realtime for Zero Dollars

#supabase #postgres #backend #free

Firebase made backend-as-a-service mainstream. But it locked you into a proprietary NoSQL database with Google's pricing. When your app grows, you can't leave.

Supabase is the open-source Firebase alternative built on PostgreSQL. Same ease of use, but with SQL, migrations, and no vendor lock-in. The free tier is genuinely production-capable.

What You Get Free

No credit card:

  • 500MB database — PostgreSQL with extensions (pgvector, PostGIS, etc.)
  • 1GB file storage — upload images, documents, videos
  • 50,000 monthly active users — auth with email, OAuth, magic link, phone
  • 500K Edge Function invocations — Deno-based serverless functions
  • Realtime — subscribe to database changes via WebSocket
  • 2GB bandwidth — database + storage combined
  • 50MB max file upload — per file
  • Auto-generated API — REST and GraphQL from your schema
  • Dashboard — SQL editor, table view, auth management
  • CLI — local dev, migrations, type generation

Quick Start 

# Create project at supabase.com or self-host
npx supabase init
npx supabase start  # local development

# Or use the hosted free tier
npm install @supabase/supabase-js
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import { createClient } from '@supabase/supabase-js';

const supabase = createClient(
  'https://YOUR_PROJECT.supabase.co',
  'YOUR_ANON_KEY'
);

// Auth
const { data: { user } } = await supabase.auth.signUp({
  email: 'user@example.com',
  password: 'password123'
});

// Database
const { data: posts } = await supabase
  .from('posts')
  .select('*, author:profiles(name)')
  .order('created_at', { ascending: false })
  .limit(20);

// Realtime
supabase.channel('posts')
  .on('postgres_changes', { event: 'INSERT', schema: 'public', table: 'posts' },
    (payload) => console.log('New post:', payload.new)
  )
  .subscribe();

// Storage
const { data } = await supabase.storage
  .from('avatars')
  .upload('user1.jpg', file);
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What You Can Build

1. SaaS MVP — auth + database + storage + functions. Complete backend in one service.
2. Real-time app — chat, live updates, collaborative editing via Realtime subscriptions.
3. AI app with pgvector — store and query embeddings in PostgreSQL. No separate vector DB.
4. Mobile backend — SDKs for Flutter, React Native, Swift, Kotlin.
5. Internal tools — Supabase dashboard + Row Level Security = instant admin panel.

Supabase vs Firebase vs Appwrite

Firebase: NoSQL (Firestore), Google lock-in, complex pricing.
Supabase: PostgreSQL, open-source, predictable pricing. You can self-host and leave anytime.
Appwrite: Document DB, more BaaS features. Supabase wins on database power (SQL, extensions).

Need backend development? Email spinov001@gmail.com

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