Fast, Simple and Open Firebase Alternative: TrailBase

I'm irked how "Firebase alternative" has come to mean "hosted database with an API layer". I mean, the key pitch of Firebase has always been that it's a realtime database. With both Supabase and Trailbase this seems a bit of a bonus aspect, kinda sorta half supported for a few things here and there. In Firebase meanwhile, as well as its successor Firestore, everything can be monitored in realtime. This is its key feature and all design choices derive from that. Notably all its weird limitations of the schema possibilities and query options derive from the goal to make a simple database that's 100% realtime-observable.

It's just super weird to me to see something presented as a "Firebase alternative" without a single realtime data sync example on the homepage. Trailbase has one deep, deep down the docs and nothing is explained about the "subscribe" limitations. That's not a Firebase alternative, it's just a hosted database. That's like calling a Chromebook an "iPhone alternative" because it lets you access WhatsApp and Twitter just like an iPhone would.

ps. I haven't followed Supabase a lot so maybe they got on top of this since, but it was pretty disappointing to me back when they launched to much fanfare. Like the only realtime thing they had was a counter or something like that.

Nice. I assume this was inspired by Pocketbase (Golang): https://pocketbase.io/

What is the difference between this project and Supabase?

Does this project have a different focus than Supabase regarding the features to be implemented?

Supabase: https://supabase.com/

This is pretty cool. Just needs clients for iOS and Android and it would be a rock solid replacement for a lot of large enterprises, or privacy minded companies.

Trying the online demo but it seems that it doesn't work properly, getting a lot of errors

good! i will try it in my next project.