In this blog post, we will explore how you can utilize Supabase as your PostgreSQL hosting solution. Supabase is not only a database hosting service but also a comprehensive app development platform built on top of PostgreSQL. With Supabase, you can take advantage of features like free connection pooling to prevent exhausting the database connection limit with tools like Prisma. Plus, Supabase offers a free account that supports up to two projects, making it an excellent choice for trying it out or working on multiple projects simultaneously.
To get started, you need to create an account on supabase.com using your GitHub credentials. Once logged in, you can create a new project. In the project settings, navigate to the Database section and scroll down to find the direct connection string to the database. This connection string, including the URI, is what you’ll need to set up the DATABASE_URL variable in your .env file. Remember to replace [YOUR-PASSWORD] with the password you set for the project during its creation.
If you are using Prisma, you can run npx prisma migrate dev to generate tables from your Prisma schema. However, note that the connection pooling feature provided by Supabase does not work with this command. In such cases, you must use the direct database connection string mentioned earlier. Make sure to swap the DATABASE_URL value accordingly.
Supabase also offers a connection pooling feature that helps prevent exhausting connections to the database. To utilize this feature, copy the connection pooling connection string from the Supabase dashboard and add ?pgbouncer=true to the end of the connection string in your .env file. This addition enables the connection pooling feature, ensuring efficient usage of database connections.
Supabase is often compared to Firebase due to its versatile nature. In addition to database hosting, Supabase also provides features like authentication, subscriptions, and more. If you want to have even more control over your projects, Supabase can also be self-hosted, although it requires managing your own infrastructure.
In conclusion, Supabase is an excellent choice for hosting your PostgreSQL database while benefiting from additional app development features. By following the steps mentioned above, you can quickly set up and utilize Supabase as your PostgreSQL hosting solution in your projects.