*this post is the 2nd post in a 4 part series
Part 1: Introduction
Part 2: Supabase
Part 3: Vercel
Part 4: Svelte
In the heart of DiverseTalent.ai’s mission to revolutionize the job market for both seekers and employers lies a commitment to leveraging the most open, efficient, scalable, and powerful technologies available.
Our journey through the vast landscape of software engineering solutions led us to a tech stack that resonates deeply with our values and goals.
Among these, Supabase stands out as a pivotal choice, a decision that has significantly propelled our platform’s capabilities.
Today, I’m excited to dive deep into why Supabase has become such an integral part of our ecosystem and how it’s supercharging backend, and front end, development.
Why Supabase?
Choosing Supabase was not a decision made lightly.
Our criteria were stringent: we needed a solution that was not only robust and reliable but also open-source, scalable and developer-friendly.
Supabase, an open-source alternative to Google’s Firebase, fit the bill perfectly.
Its PostgreSQL foundation means we’re building on top of a time-tested, powerful database. Yet, what truly sets Supabase apart is how it simplifies backend development in a number of different departments without sacrificing control or functionality.
Open-Source and Community-Driven
One of the core reasons we leaned towards Supabase is its open-source nature. This aligns with our belief in transparency, collaboration, and community-driven development.
With Supabase, we’re not just using a service; we’re part of an evolving ecosystem where improvements and new features are driven by real-world use cases and developer feedback.
Seamless Backend Services
Supabase offers an impressive suite of backend services right out of the box: real-time databases, authentication, storage, and more.
This all-in-one approach allowed us to significantly reduce development time, as we could focus on building unique features for our platform instead of getting bogged down by backend complexities.
The ease with which we can implement user authentication and manage user data securely has been particularly beneficial, ensuring that our platform remains both secure and feature-rich.
When we need to handle eventing in our solution Supabase has us covered. Supabase database events efficiently notify our other backend services when something has happened e.g. a new jobseeker has signed up to the platform.
For file storage, Supabase also provides an easy to use and understand service. We don’t have to worry about setting and maintaining S3 buckets, putting a CDN in front of them and deeply understanding AWS security policies, this is abstracted away with Supabase.
Easy to Understand Security Model
Speaking of security models, the row level security model incorporated into Postgres and file storage is easy to understand and utilize.
When security models are complex and hard to understand at the outset they are especially prone to developer misconfiguration.
If security models are simple to understand and a mental model can be visualised easily, there is less likelihood of misconfiguration, extensibility risks and quicker resolution of issues.
With row level security (and column level security ) we can secure data and files in a way that even new team members can quickly comprehend and configure.
Scalability and Performance
For a startup like DiverseTalent.ai, scalability in performance and pricing is not just a requirement; it’s a necessity.
Supabase’s scalability gracefully handles our growth, allowing us to scale our services to meet user demand without any disruption or degradation in performance. This reliability ensures that we can focus on innovation and user experience, knowing that our backend can keep up with our ambition.
We loved Supabase’s openness about its open source roots and how they did not stand in the way of anyone opting to self-host instead of using their managed service. We use the managed service as it lets our team focus on other things but also love that we have the option to self-host if that ever became a requirement.
Cost-Effectiveness
Last but certainly not least, Supabase’s pricing model has been a game-changer for us.
In the early stages of a startup, every penny counts. Supabase offers a cost-effective solution that scales economically, ensuring that we’re not overburdened by infrastructure costs as we grow. But its not only infrastructure cost, its also the reduction in costs due to a great developer experience.
These factors have allowed us to allocate resources more efficiently, investing in areas that directly contribute to user value and platform enhancement.
Comparison
There are plenty of fantastic “backend as a service offerings” out there currently.
We decided on Supabase as it was the best fit for our scenario, but here is a list of others that you could also consider:
| Feature/Consideration | Supabase | Firebase | AWS Amplify | Parse (Open Source) | Planetscale |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Database | PostgreSQL | Firestore (NoSQL), Realtime Database | DynamoDB (NoSQL), Aurora (SQL) | MongoDB, PostgreSQL | MySQL |
| Real-Time Updates | Native support | Native support | Limited with additional configurations | Via Live Queries | Limited via external integrations |
| Authentication | Built-in, with third-party providers | Built-in, with third-party providers | Cognito (built-in with third-party providers) | Built-in, with third-party providers | N/A (handled by external services) |
| Pricing | Free tier, scalable paid plans | Free tier, pay-as-you-go pricing | Free tier, pay-as-you-go pricing | Free (self-hosted), Managed hosting varies | Free tier, scalable paid plans |
| Open Source | Yes | No | No | Yes | No (But offers a client with OSS elements) |
| Serverless Functions | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes (with additional setup) | No (focused on database) |
| File Storage | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | N/A (handled by external services) |
| Customizability | High (open-source, SQL support) | Medium (NoSQL, proprietary) | High (flexible, can be complex) | High (open-source, flexible backend) | High (MySQL, flexible schema) |
| Ease of Use | High | High | Medium (steeper learning curve) | Medium (depends on setup) | High (focused on developer experience) |
| Community & Support | Growing community, active development | Large community, extensive resources | Large community, AWS support | Active community, varying support | Growing community, responsive support |
| Scalability | Automatic scaling, easy to manage | Automatic scaling, managed by Google | Manual and automatic scaling options | Self-managed scalability | Automatic scaling, serverless architecture |
Looking Ahead
Our choice to integrate Supabase into our tech stack has been validated time and again through enhanced productivity, seamless scalability, and the ability to innovate at pace.
As DiverseTalent.ai continues to grow and evolve, Supabase will undoubtedly play a critical role in enabling us to meet and exceed the expectations of job seekers and employers alike.
Supabase has not just been a tool for us; it’s been a catalyst for transformation. It embodies the balance we sought between power and simplicity, enabling our very small team to achieve big dreams.
As we move forward, we’re excited about the possibilities that this partnership enables, driving forward our mission to create a more transparent, connected, efficient, and accessible job market.
Stay tuned to our blog as we continue to explore the other components of our tech stack, sharing insights and experiences from our journey.
At DiverseTalent.ai, we’re not just building a platform; we’re shaping the future of employment, and Supabase is a crucial piece of that puzzle.
*this post is the 2nd post in a 4 part series
Part 1: Introduction
Part 2: Supabase
Part 3: Vercel
Part 4: Svelte
