Back to Blog
team@tinypod.app

Self-Hosting Supabase: Open-Source Firebase Alternative

Supabase gives you a Postgres database, auth, realtime subscriptions, storage, and edge functions. Self-hosted Firebase alternative.

supabasefirebasedatabasebackend

What Is Supabase?


Supabase is an open-source Firebase alternative built on PostgreSQL. It provides a complete backend platform.


Components


Database

PostgreSQL with a table editor, SQL editor, and auto-generated APIs.


Auth

User management with email/password, magic links, social logins (Google, GitHub, etc.), and phone auth.


Realtime

Listen to database changes via WebSockets. Build collaborative and live-updating features.


Storage

S3-compatible file storage with access policies.


Edge Functions

Deno-based serverless functions for custom backend logic.


Supabase vs Firebase


  • Supabase: PostgreSQL (relational), SQL, self-hostable
  • Firebase: Firestore (NoSQL), proprietary, Google-only
  • Supabase: Open-source, no vendor lock-in
  • Firebase: Tight Google Cloud integration

    • When to Self-Host Supabase


  • Compliance requirements (data residency)
  • Cost control at scale
  • Need for PostgreSQL extensions
  • Full database access and control

    • Deployment


    1. Deploy Supabase on TinyPod

    2. Access the Studio dashboard

    3. Create tables

    4. Generate API keys

    5. Connect your frontend


    Resources: 2 CPU, 4 GB RAM (multiple services: PostgreSQL, GoTrue, Realtime, Storage, PostgREST).


    Self-hosted Supabase is ideal for production apps that need data sovereignty. The Studio dashboard makes database management accessible.