> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://mintlify.com/supabase/supabase/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.
# Introduction to Supabase
> The open source Firebase alternative built on PostgreSQL
## What is Supabase?
Supabase is the **Postgres development platform** that provides everything you need to build production-grade applications. We're building the features of Firebase using enterprise-grade, open source tools.
Instead of vendor lock-in, you get:
* Full control over your data with PostgreSQL
* Open source tools with active communities
* The ability to self-host or use our managed platform
* Enterprise-grade security and performance
Supabase is not a 1-to-1 mapping of Firebase. Our aim is to give developers a Firebase-like developer experience using open source tools.
## Core Features
Supabase provides a complete backend solution with the following features:
Hosted PostgreSQL database with full SQL access, extensions, and real-time capabilities
JWT-based authentication with social providers, magic links, and fine-grained access control
RESTful and GraphQL APIs generated automatically from your database schema
Subscribe to database changes via WebSockets and broadcast events between clients
Store and serve files with automatic image optimization and CDN delivery
Deploy serverless TypeScript functions to the edge with Deno runtime
Built-in support for vector embeddings and AI-powered applications
Intuitive web interface to manage your database, auth, storage, and more
## Why Supabase?
### Built on Open Source
Supabase is a combination of enterprise-grade open source tools:
* **[PostgreSQL](https://www.postgresql.org/)** - The world's most advanced open source database with 30+ years of development
* **[PostgREST](http://postgrest.org/)** - Turns your database into a RESTful API automatically
* **[GoTrue](https://github.com/supabase/gotrue)** - JWT-based authentication and user management
* **[Realtime](https://github.com/supabase/realtime)** - Elixir server for broadcasting database changes over WebSockets
* **[Storage API](https://github.com/supabase/storage-api)** - S3-compatible object storage with PostgreSQL permissions
* **[pg\_graphql](http://github.com/supabase/pg_graphql/)** - PostgreSQL extension for GraphQL support
* **[Kong](https://github.com/Kong/kong)** - Cloud-native API gateway
If the tools and communities exist with an MIT, Apache 2, or equivalent open license, we use and support that tool. If the tool doesn't exist, we build and open source it ourselves.
### Flexible Deployment Options
Choose the deployment model that fits your needs:
Sign up at [supabase.com/dashboard](https://supabase.com/dashboard) and start building immediately:
* No infrastructure to manage
* Automatic scaling and backups
* Built-in monitoring and analytics
* Global CDN for low-latency access
* Free tier for development and small projects
Perfect for getting started quickly or running production applications without operational overhead.
Deploy Supabase on your own infrastructure using Docker:
```bash theme={null}
git clone https://github.com/supabase/supabase
cd supabase/docker
cp .env.example .env
docker compose up
```
Benefits:
* Complete control over your data and infrastructure
* No vendor lock-in
* Ability to customize and extend
* Deploy on-premises or any cloud provider
Learn more in the [Self-Hosting Guide](https://supabase.com/docs/guides/hosting/overview).
Develop locally with the Supabase CLI:
```bash theme={null}
npx supabase init
npx supabase start
```
Features:
* Complete local environment with all services
* Database migrations and version control
* Type generation for TypeScript
* Test and develop offline
See [Local Development Guide](https://supabase.com/docs/guides/local-development).
## Developer Experience
Supabase is designed to make developers productive:
### Type-Safe Client Libraries
Official client libraries with full TypeScript support:
```typescript JavaScript/TypeScript theme={null}
import { createClient } from '@supabase/supabase-js'
const supabase = createClient(
'https://your-project.supabase.co',
'your-anon-key'
)
// Fully typed queries
const { data, error } = await supabase
.from('users')
.select('id, name, email')
.eq('status', 'active')
```
```python Python theme={null}
from supabase import create_client, Client
supabase: Client = create_client(
"https://your-project.supabase.co",
"your-anon-key"
)
# Simple and intuitive API
response = supabase.table('users') \
.select('id, name, email') \
.eq('status', 'active') \
.execute()
```
```swift Swift theme={null}
import Supabase
let supabase = SupabaseClient(
supabaseURL: URL(string: "https://your-project.supabase.co")!,
supabaseKey: "your-anon-key"
)
// Native Swift experience
let users: [User] = try await supabase
.from("users")
.select()
.eq("status", value: "active")
.execute()
.value
```
```dart Flutter theme={null}
import 'package:supabase_flutter/supabase_flutter.dart';
await Supabase.initialize(
url: 'https://your-project.supabase.co',
anonKey: 'your-anon-key',
);
final supabase = Supabase.instance.client;
// Flutter-optimized
final users = await supabase
.from('users')
.select()
.eq('status', 'active');
```
### Row Level Security
PostgreSQL's Row Level Security (RLS) provides fine-grained authorization:
```sql theme={null}
-- Users can only see their own data
CREATE POLICY "Users can view own data" ON profiles
FOR SELECT
USING (auth.uid() = id);
-- Users can update their own profile
CREATE POLICY "Users can update own profile" ON profiles
FOR UPDATE
USING (auth.uid() = id);
```
Policies are enforced at the database level, so your data is secure even if your application code has vulnerabilities.
Always enable Row Level Security on tables containing user data. Without RLS policies, data is inaccessible by default when using the API.
## Use Cases
Supabase powers applications across industries:
* **SaaS Applications** - Full-featured backends with auth, database, and realtime
* **Mobile Apps** - Cross-platform support with Flutter, Swift, and React Native
* **AI Applications** - Vector embeddings and similarity search built-in
* **Real-time Apps** - Chat, collaboration tools, live dashboards
* **E-commerce** - Product catalogs, user management, and order processing
* **Internal Tools** - Admin panels, dashboards, and business applications
## Getting Started
Ready to build with Supabase? Continue to the [Quickstart](/quickstart) to create your first project and run your first query in minutes.
## Community & Support
Join thousands of developers building with Supabase:
Join our community of 20,000+ developers for real-time help and discussions
Share ideas, ask questions, and help shape the future of Supabase
Report bugs and track development progress
Follow us for updates, tips, and community highlights
## Next Steps
Build your first app with Supabase in under 10 minutes
Learn how Supabase components work together