Migrating from Firebase to Supabase

When Supabase first came out, I was skeptical. But after hitting several walls with Firebase, I gave it a shot — and it delivered.

🔥 Firebase Issues I Faced

• Firestore's pricing model got expensive at scale.
• Query flexibility was limited.
• Difficult to self-host or export data cleanly.

🛠️ The Migration

Supabase made it surprisingly smooth.

• Auth: 1:1 migration using JWT
• Database: Used Supabase SQL import
• Storage: Ported assets using supabase/storage SDK

🧪 Code Snippet: Fetching User

ts
import { createClient } from '@supabase/supabase-js';

const supabase = createClient(SUPABASE_URL, SUPABASE_KEY);

async function getUser() {
  const { data, error } = await supabase.auth.getUser();
  if (error) throw error;
  return data;
}

🚧 Challenges

• Rewriting Firebase rules into RLS policies.
• Some client SDK quirks.
• Re-training team on Postgres concepts.

✅ Final Verdict

Supabase feels like Postgres with superpowers. If you're looking for a Firebase alternative — give it a try.

Bonus: It's open source 💚