Supabase vs Firebase comparison - Quick Revision & Key Differences

Recall & Review

beginner

What is Supabase?

Supabase is an open-source backend-as-a-service platform that provides a Postgres database, authentication, real-time subscriptions, and storage, designed to be an alternative to Firebase.

beginner

What is Firebase?

Firebase is a Google-owned platform offering backend services like a NoSQL database (Firestore), authentication, hosting, and cloud functions, mainly used for building mobile and web apps quickly.

intermediate

How does Supabase store data compared to Firebase?

Supabase uses a relational Postgres database with tables and SQL queries, while Firebase uses a NoSQL document database called Firestore, which stores data in collections and documents.

beginner

Which platform is open-source: Supabase or Firebase?

Supabase is open-source, allowing developers to view and modify the source code, while Firebase is a proprietary service owned by Google.

intermediate

What is a key difference in real-time data handling between Supabase and Firebase?

Both support real-time updates, but Supabase uses Postgres's real-time capabilities with websockets, while Firebase uses its own Realtime Database and Firestore with built-in real-time listeners.

Which database type does Supabase use?

A NoSQL document database

B Relational SQL database

C Graph database

D Key-value store

Supabase uses a relational SQL database called Postgres.

Firebase is owned by which company?

A Microsoft

B Amazon

C Google

D Facebook

Firebase is a Google-owned platform.

Which platform is open-source?

A Supabase

B Both

C Firebase

D Neither

Supabase is open-source; Firebase is proprietary.

Which platform uses Firestore as its database?

A Supabase

B Neither

C Both

D Firebase

Firebase uses Firestore, a NoSQL document database.

How does Supabase provide real-time updates?

A Using Postgres real-time with websockets

B Using Firebase real-time database

C Polling every few seconds

D No real-time support

Supabase uses Postgres's real-time features with websockets for live updates.

Explain the main differences between Supabase and Firebase in terms of database type, openness, and real-time capabilities.

Think about how data is stored and how updates happen live.

Describe a scenario where choosing Supabase might be better than Firebase.

Consider database type and control over the backend.