Goodbye NoSQL: Why I Migrated My Stack from Firebase to Supabase.

For years, Firebase was my default choice.
Need a backend? Firebase.
Need auth? Firebase.
Need a database? Firestore.
​It was fast, easy, and let me ship MVPs in a weekend. But as my applications grew in 2025, I hit the "NoSQL Wall." Data relationships became complex, queries became expensive, and I spent more time managing data integrity in my code than building features.
​In 2025, I migrated my core production apps to Supabase. It wasn't just because of the "Open Source" label. It was because I needed Postgres.
​Here is the honest breakdown of why I switched, and why you might want to consider it too.
​1. The Data Modeling Struggle (JSON vs. SQL)
​Firebase uses a Document Store (NoSQL). It’s great for unstructured data, like chat logs or user settings.
But most SaaS applications are Relational.
​Users have Orders.
​Orders have Items.
​Items have Inventory.
​In Firebase, trying to "Join" these tables is a nightmare. You end up doing client-side joins (slow) or duplicating data (denormalization).
​The Supabase Difference:
Supabase is just PostgreSQL. Real SQL.
I can write a simple JOIN query. I can use Foreign Keys to ensure that if a User is deleted, their Orders are handled correctly. The database enforces the rules, not my fragile application code.
​2. Vendor Lock-in & Portability
​If you build your entire backend on Firestore’s proprietary API, you are married to Google. Moving away requires rewriting your entire backend logic.
​Supabase is built on open standards.
​The database is standard Postgres.
​You can pg_dump your data and move it to AWS RDS, DigitalOcean, or a Raspberry Pi tomorrow.
​The peace of mind knowing that I own my data—and the logic to query it—is worth the switch alone.
​3. The "AI" Factor: pgvector
​2025 was the year AI became standard in every app.
Integrating Vector Embeddings (for semantic search or RAG) into Firebase is clumsy. You often need a separate vector database like Pinecone.
​With Supabase, I just enabled the pgvector extension.
Now, my user data, my business logic, and my AI embeddings live in the same database. I can query them in a single transaction. That architectural simplicity is unbeatable.
​4. Row Level Security (RLS)
​Firebase has "Security Rules," which are a proprietary JavaScript-like syntax. They are powerful but hard to debug.
​Supabase uses Postgres RLS. You write SQL policies to determine who can see what.
CREATE POLICY "User sees own data" ON users FOR SELECT USING (auth.uid() = id);
​It’s standard SQL. If you know databases, you know how to secure your app.
​The Verdict
​Firebase is not dead. If I’m building a mobile game or a simple real-time chat app, Firebase is still incredible.
​But for a SaaS platform? For an e-commerce site? For anything where Data Integrity matters?
I want the stability of SQL. I want the power of Postgres. And in 2026, Supabase is the best way to get that.
​Hi, I'm Frank Oge. I build high-performance software and write about the tech that powers it. If you enjoyed this, check out more of my work at frankoge.com