Supabase gives you the whole "behind the scenes" part of an app in one package, so you don't have to build it yourself. Your data lives in Postgres, one of the most trusted databases in the world, so you're never stuck: you can take your data and move it whenever you like. A large full-time team works on it, it's updated often, the instructions are clear, and you're free to run every piece on your own servers.
About Supabase
Most apps have two halves: the part people see and tap on, and the part behind the scenes that stores information, remembers who's logged in and keeps uploaded files. That second half is called the back end, and building it from scratch takes a lot of time. Supabase gives you a ready-made back end, so you can spend your time on the app itself.
What's inside
A database. A safe, organised place for your app's information, such as users, orders or messages. It's Postgres, used by companies of every size. It can also search by meaning rather than exact words, which is what AI features like "chat with your documents" need.
Sign-in. People can create an account and log in with an email and password, a one-click link sent to their inbox, their phone number, or accounts they already have, like Google or GitHub. You set rules for who can see what, so one person can never read another person's data.
Ready-made connections. As soon as you add a table, your app can read and save its data. Nobody has to write server code first.
Live updates. When something changes, everyone sees it straight away without refreshing: a new chat message, a number on a dashboard, who's online right now.
File storage. A home for the photos, documents and videos people upload, with control over who can open them. Images can be resized automatically so they load quickly on phones.
Small pieces of your own code. For the few jobs that need custom logic, like sending a welcome email or handling a payment.
A control panel. Look through your data, users and activity in a web dashboard that works a lot like a spreadsheet.
Use their servers, or your own
You can start on supabase.com, which has a free plan, or run everything on your own servers. Because it's all built on standard technology, switching later means moving your data, not rebuilding your app.
Is it right for you?
It's a great fit if you want to launch a web or mobile app quickly, without first hiring someone to build the back end. If your app mostly needs custom logic on the server, or you'd rather store data as flexible documents than in tables, compare it with Appwrite or PocketBase.
What you can build with it
A subscription app where people sign up and keep their own data
A chat app or shared workspace that updates live
The back end for an iPhone or Android app
An AI assistant that answers questions from your own documents
Dashboards and admin tools for your team
Building blocks
Supabase is made of parts you can use on their own in your project. Copy a prompt to have your AI assistant add one for you, and see the licence card for what you may do with them.
Connect your app to Supabase
Free to use, even in closed products
Lets your website or app read and save data, sign people in, upload files and get live updates from a Supabase back end, with a few lines of code.
MIT License (read from supabase/supabase-js/LICENSE)
Sign-in and user accounts
Free to use, even in closed products
Lets people sign up and log in with email and password, magic links, or accounts like Google and GitHub. Runs as its own server next to your Postgres database.
