This document provides a high-level introduction to the Supabase repository at httpsNaN-NaN It describes the purpose of the platform as an open-source Firebase alternative, the core architecture, and how the monorepo is organized. For implementation details, refer to the child pages: Monorepo Structure and Technology Stack.
Supabase is a Postgres development platform designed to provide a Firebase-like developer experience using enterprise-grade open-source tools package.json3 The platform integrates several standalone open-source projects into a cohesive backend-as-a-service offering.
| Feature | Implementation | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Database | PostgreSQL | apps/docs/public/humans.txt330 |
| Auth | GoTrue (JWT-based) | apps/docs/public/humans.txt337 |
| REST API | PostgREST | apps/docs/public/humans.txt331 |
| Realtime | Phoenix Framework | apps/docs/public/humans.txt336 |
| UI Components | Radix UI + Tailwind | pnpm-workspace.yaml43-47 |
| Edge Functions | Deno Runtime | apps/studio/package.json32 |
| AI/Vector | AI SDK + pg-meta | apps/studio/package.json42-47 |
The platform supports three primary modes of operation:
Sources: package.json1-77 apps/docs/public/humans.txt326-338
The Supabase architecture is modular, using specialized microservices that interact with a central PostgreSQL instance.
The following diagram bridges the high-level system names to the specific code entities and services used in the platform.
Sources: apps/docs/public/humans.txt326-338 apps/studio/package.json73-78 package.json45-46
The repository is a pnpm monorepo package.json78-79 managed with TurboRepo package.json64 It centralizes the dashboard, documentation, marketing site, and shared utility packages.
| Directory | Purpose | Key Applications/Packages |
|---|---|---|
apps/ | Main web applications | studio, docs, www, design-system, ui-library |
packages/ | Shared libraries | ui, ui-patterns, common, pg-meta, ai-commands, shared-data |
blocks/ | Component blocks | vue |
e2e/ | Integration tests | studio, docs |
i18n/ | Internationalization | README translations i18n/languages.md1-51 |
For a deep dive into workspace configuration and app roles, see Monorepo Structure.
Sources: pnpm-workspace.yaml1-5 package.json11-22 apps/studio/package.json95-101
The stack is primarily built on TypeScript, Next.js, and Postgres. The repository uses a centralized catalog in pnpm-workspace.yaml to manage dependency versions across all workspaces pnpm-workspace.yaml13-54
This diagram maps high-level technologies to their specific implementation points in the codebase.
For details on the specific versions and dependency choices, see Technology Stack.
Sources: pnpm-workspace.yaml13-54 package.json64-79 apps/studio/package.json81-92
Supabase is an open-source project with a large community of contributors.
Sources: apps/docs/public/humans.txt1-316 i18n/languages.md1-51 i18n/README.hr.md1-10