Self-Hosting a Firebase Alternative - Supabase vs Pocketbase

Supabase: A Powerful Open-Source Firebase Alternative

Supabase has emerged as a compelling open-source alternative to Google’s Firebase, offering a comprehensive suite of tools for building web and mobile applications. It aims to provide developers with a similar feature set to Firebase, but with the added benefits of open-source transparency, flexibility, and self-hosting options. This post explores what you can do with Supabase and whether it’s a true Firebase replacement.

What Can You Do with Supabase?

Supabase packs a punch with features designed to streamline the development process:

• PostgreSQL Database: At its core, Supabase uses PostgreSQL, a robust and industry-standard relational database. This gives you the power and flexibility of SQL, along with features like ACID transactions and powerful querying.
• Authentication: Supabase provides built-in authentication services, allowing you to easily manage user accounts, sign-ups, sign-ins (including social logins), and user roles.
• Edge Functions: These serverless functions, similar to Firebase Cloud Functions, let you run backend code without managing servers. They are ideal for tasks like data transformation, API endpoints, and background processing.
• Storage: Supabase Storage offers a cloud storage solution for files, images, and other assets. It integrates seamlessly with the database and authentication services.
• Realtime: Supabase Realtime allows you to build real-time applications with ease. It uses WebSockets to push updates to clients as soon as data changes in the database.
• API Library: Supabase provides client libraries for various programming languages (JavaScript, Python, etc.), making it easy to interact with its services from your application’s frontend.
• Admin UI: A user-friendly web interface lets you manage your Supabase project, view data, write SQL queries, and configure settings.

Can You Self-Host Supabase?

Yes, one of the key advantages of Supabase is that it can be self-hosted. This gives you complete control over your data and infrastructure. You can deploy Supabase on your own servers, virtual machines, or even on platforms like Kubernetes. Self-hosting is attractive for reasons like data sovereignty, compliance, and potentially lower costs at scale.

However, self-hosting requires more technical expertise. You’ll be responsible for server maintenance, backups, and scaling. Supabase provides documentation and tools to assist with self-hosting, but it’s a more involved process than using the hosted Supabase platform.

Is Supabase a Full Firebase Alternative?

Supabase offers a very compelling alternative to Firebase, covering many of the same core functionalities. Here’s a comparison:

Strengths of Supabase:

• Open Source: Greater transparency, community support, and the ability to modify the platform.
• PostgreSQL: Leverages the power and flexibility of a relational database.
• Self-Hosting: Offers control and flexibility for those who need it.

Strengths of Firebase:

• Mature Platform: A well-established and widely used platform with extensive documentation and community resources.
• Ease of Use: Firebase is often praised for its ease of use, especially for getting started quickly.
• Integrated Services: Firebase offers a wide range of integrated services beyond the core features (e.g., Cloud Messaging, Crashlytics).

Considerations:

• Maturity: While Supabase is rapidly maturing, Firebase has a longer track record.
• Ecosystem: Firebase has a larger ecosystem of tools and integrations.
• Complexity: Self-hosting Supabase can be more complex than using the hosted Firebase platform.

Conclusion

Supabase is a strong contender in the backend-as-a-service (BaaS) space.

Its open-source nature, PostgreSQL database, and self-hosting capabilities make it a very attractive option for developers who want more control and flexibility. While Firebase has a more mature ecosystem and might be easier to get started with, Supabase is quickly gaining ground and is a serious alternative to consider for your next project. The choice ultimately depends on your specific needs and priorities. If you are looking for an open-source, flexible and powerful backend, Supabase is definitely worth exploring.

The Supabase Project

You can find Supabase project details and source code at:

• The Official Site
• The Source Code at Github
  • License: aGPL 3.0 ❤️

The open source Firebase alternative. Supabase gives you a dedicated Postgres database to build your web, mobile, and AI applications.

apt-get update && sudo apt-get upgrade && curl -fsSL https://get.docker.com -o get-docker.sh
sh get-docker.sh && docker version

What are Vector DBs?

Conclusions

Supabase can also be a Vector DB

Same as postgres

Why Supabase?

Firebase but F/OSS

Algolia and ElasticSearch

Supabase Overview

• Description: Supabase is an open-source alternative to Firebase, offering backend services.
• Core Features:
  • Postgres Database: Provided as a service.
  • Authentication: Supports secure user authentication.
  • Storage: Manages file storage.
  • API Tools: Facilitates API development.
• Search Integration: Lacks built-in search functionalities but supports integration with Algolia and Elasticsearch for enhanced search capabilities.

Search Integration Options

• Algolia:
  • Type: Cloud-based, managed service.
  • Key Features:
    • Fast and accurate with typo tolerance and instant search.
    • Developer-friendly APIs and libraries.
    • Enhances user experience with custom search interfaces and advanced features like faceted search.
  • Pricing: Various plans, paid service.
• Elasticsearch:
  • Type: Open-source and self-hosted.
  • Key Features:
    • Highly flexible and customizable, suitable for complex queries.
    • Rich in features with many plugins and extensions.
    • Requires more technical expertise to set up and manage.
  • Pricing: Free to use; paid subscriptions available for additional features and support.

Choosing Between Algolia and Elasticsearch with Supabase

• Algolia + Supabase:
  • Combines Algolia’s ease of use and speed with Supabase’s robust database capabilities.
  • Ideal for projects needing seamless search experiences with minimal setup.
• Elasticsearch + Supabase:
  • Offers more control and customization in search configurations.
  • Suitable for projects requiring complex search functionalities and where technical setup is feasible.

Decision Tips

• Choose Algolia if you prioritize a fast, user-friendly search solution and are open to a managed service.
• Choose Elasticsearch if your project demands high flexibility, complex search capabilities, and you are equipped to handle technical configurations.

FAQ

What are some Free FireBase Alternatives?

• Firebase: A Google-backed platform, Firebase offers a comprehensive suite of tools for web and mobile application development, including real-time databases, authentication, analytics, and hosting. It’s well-integrated with other Google services and is known for its scalability and ease of use.

• PocketBase: A newer, lightweight alternative, PocketBase focuses on providing a simple backend solution with features like real-time databases, file storage, and user authentication. It’s designed for ease of setup and use, targeting smaller projects or those requiring a more straightforward approach.

• Appwrite: An open-source Backend-as-a-Service (BaaS) solution, Appwrite offers a variety of backend services such as databases, authentication, storage, and real-time capabilities. It aims to be a Firebase alternative with a focus on self-hosting, privacy, and customizability.

• You can be interested to Self-Host AppWrite

  • Appwrite is an open-source platform for building applications at any scale, using your preferred programming languages and tools: Appwrite’s open-source platform lets you add Auth, DBs, Functions and Storage to your product and build any application at any scale, own your data, and use your preferred coding languages and tools.
  • BSD License https://github.com/appwrite/appwrite

• PocketBase - F/OSS Real Time Backend in one file https://github.com/pocketbase/pocketbase

  • https://github.com/pocketbase/pocketbase MIT

• AppSmith - https://docs.appsmith.com/

  • https://docs.appsmith.com/getting-started/setup/installation-guides/docker

version: "3"
services:
   appsmith:
     image: index.docker.io/appsmith/appsmith-ee
     container_name: appsmith
     ports:
         - "80:80"
         - "443:443"
     volumes:
         - ./stacks:/appsmith-stacks
     restart: unless-stopped

Appsmith is a low-code development platform designed for the rapid creation of web applications. It leverages a reactive binding architecture and an MVC-like separation, focusing on widgets, datasources, queries, and JavaScript. Widgets in Appsmith are visual components representing the ‘views’, while datasources encapsulate connections to databases and APIs. Queries and embedded JavaScript act as ‘controllers’, managing the flow of data between the views and models. Appsmith’s framework is inherently reactive, automatically updating the application based on changes in its state, which simplifies the development process and enhances user experience efficiency.

f/oss low code vs no code

• https://www.appsmith.com/ https://github.com/appsmithorg/appsmith

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hDzgO2FB_ms