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Yevhen Kozachenko 🇺🇦
Yevhen Kozachenko 🇺🇦

Posted on • Originally published at ekwoster.dev

Ditch the Backend: Build a Full-Stack Web App Using Only Supabase & React (No Node.js Needed!)

#supabase #react #webdev #fullstack

Ditch the Backend: Build a Full-Stack Web App Using Only Supabase & React (No Node.js Needed!)

Ever felt your backend was holding you back? Tired of spinning up Express servers or babysitting APIs just to wire up simple CRUD functionality? It's 2024 — we have Supabase!

In this post, we're going rogue and building a full-stack app using only Supabase and React — no Node.js, no Express, and definitely no REST API hoedown. Supabase is the powerful open-source Firebase alternative that's taking the dev world by storm. Combine it with React, and we get a JAMstack-style full-stack workflow with real-time data, authentication, and even edge functions.

Join me as we build a fully functioning habit tracking app — complete with login/signup, data persistence, and real-time updates — without writing a single line of backend code. 🔥

🧠 Why Supabase + React?

  • Authentication: Supabase offers plug-and-play email/password, OAuth, and magic links.
  • Real-time DB: Built on PostgreSQL with live subscriptions via websockets.
  • Storage: Easily upload, manage, and serve files.
  • Edge Functions: Serverless functions you can call from the client.

This combo is lean, fast, and lets frontend devs build powerful apps with minimal overhead.

🛠️ What We'll Build

A Habit Tracker App:

  • User authentication (sign up / login)
  • Track daily habits (CRUD habits)
  • Real-time updates across devices
  • Bonus: Streak calculations via Supabase Row Level Functions

🚀 Project Setup

  1. Create a Supabase Project
  2. Add Tables to Supabase
  3. Set up Authentication
  4. Build the React Frontend
  5. Add Realtime Subscriptions
  6. Deploy to Netlify or Vercel

🧠 Conclusion: Next Steps

You can now build & ship MVPs without a backend, prototype apps faster than ever, and focus on product and user experience.

Supabase empowers frontend developers to go full-stack. And it’s not just for MVPs. As your app grows, you can add serverless functions, role-based access controls, and even integrate with native Postgres tooling. 💥

Let me know if you'd like a Part 2 where we calculate streak stats via SQL functions or handle file/image uploads in Supabase Storage.

🔗 Resources

Happy hacking. 🚀

💡 If you need this done – we offer fullstack development services!

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