As a developer who values the "Build → Break → Optimize" philosophy, I wanted to tackle one of the hardest problems in web development: Real-time Concurrency.
I built BitPad, a collaborative code editor where developers can create rooms and code together in live-sync. The backbone of this entire system? Supabase.
Why Supabase?
Instead of managing a complex WebSocket server manually, I leveraged Supabase's Realtime engine. This allowed me to focus on the user experience while the infrastructure handled the heavy lifting of syncing state across multiple clients.
The Technical Stack:
- Database & Realtime: Supabase (Postgres) for instant data broadcasting.
- Frontend: Next.js and Tailwind CSS for a lean, high-performance UI.
- Architecture: A room-based system where every keystroke is synchronized across all connected peers.
The Challenge: Managing State at Scale
The hardest part of building BitPad was ensuring that the "Room" state didn't become a bottleneck. By using Supabase's row-level security and realtime listeners, I was able to create a secure, fast, and scalable environment where developers can jump in and out of sessions without losing a single line of code.
Key Learnings
- Infrastructure over Boilerplate: Supabase allowed me to ship a "Live Share" competitor in record time.
- Concurrency Patterns: Handling simultaneous edits taught me a massive amount about database locks and race conditions.
Check out the live build: bitpad.vercel.app
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