Top 3 Backend Providers as a Service for React Apps

Backend-as-a-Service (BaaS) refers to platforms that provide backend services such as data storage, analytics, notifications, real-time subscriptions, and authentication to software applications. BaaS providers reduce the time required to develop applications by not having to build a backend from scratch.

Common BaaS providers that support React applications include AWS Amplify, Firebase, and SupaBase.

AWS amplification

AWS services can be difficult to use without cloud experience. Launched in 2017, AWS Amplify is an open source library that simplifies how you interact with and integrate AWS services into your apps.

It provides services such as storage, authentication, GraphQL, REST API, push notifications and more. It also provides an easy way to add AWS resources such as Cognito, DynamoDB, and ElasticSearch to your app without using the AWS console. You can access Amplify using the CLI or Management UI.

Key Features of AWS Amplify

• AWS Amplify works with many frameworks and languages. Web applications support popular JavaScript frameworks and libraries such as React, Angular, and Vue. It also supports iOS and Android.
• Amplify integrates with Amazon Cognito to support email/password authentication, social authentication with providers like Facebook and Amazon, and multi-factor authentication.
• Amplify lets you add GraphQL and REST APIs to your application. You can use these APIs to access data from data sources such as DynamoDB.
• Amplify lets you store and manage media files on your device and in the cloud using S3.
• Amplify CLI allows you to create and deploy lambda functions. A lambda function is a serverless function that allows you to run code without provisioning a server. Common use cases for lambda functions include image manipulation such as sending SMS alerts, sending emails, and creating thumbnails when an event is triggered. See AWS documentation for more common use cases for Lambda functions.
• It’s cheap to start. You can start building your application with the free tier, which offers most of Amplify’s features. After the free period ends, you can pay for the specific features you use.
• Amplify speeds time-to-market for software applications by eliminating the need to code the backend from scratch.

AWS Amplify is intended for the AWS Cloud only. For Google Cloud, you should consider Firebase.

fire base

Firebase is a BaaS platform built on Google Cloud that provides a managed backend platform for web and mobile applications. Firebase provides products that help developers build backend infrastructure, release and monitor applications, and engage with users.

Key Features of Firebase

• Firebase supports integration with iOS, web, and Android.
• Firebase has a Cloud Firestore database, a NoSQL database that you can use to store your app’s data. Firebase also offers a real-time database that allows you to store and sync data between users in real-time.
• Firebase allows you to add extensions to your app. Extensions are prepackaged bundles of code that add functionality to your app. An example of an extension is Search with Algolia, a package that enables full-text searches on cloud Firestore databases using Algolia. You can check other extensions on our extension marketplace.
• Add functionality to your app by integrating Firebase with other tools like Google Ads, Google Play, Jira, and Slack.
• Firebase is built into Google Cloud, so you can easily scale your app.
• The Spark plan is free and helps developers get started with Firebase easily.
• Firebase Authentication Service supports user authentication using email and passwords, phone numbers, and social authentication providers such as Twitter and GitHub.
• Firebase products such as crashlytics, performance monitoring, Google Analytics, and test labs can help you track your app’s performance.

As you can see, Firebase has some nice features, but it’s not open source, it’s only available on Google Cloud. If you want an open source alternative, try Supabase.

super base

Supabase is a platform that enables developers to quickly set up backends for their applications. Each project built on Supabase is a 100% portable Postgres database, simplifying migration to and from Supabase. The database is real-time capable and can be subscribed to react to database updates. Other services provided by Supabase include edge capabilities, authentication, and auto-generated APIs.

Main features of Super Bass

• Supabase provides a full fledged Postgres database. The database is portable and has built-in authentication that can be used to control user access.
• It offers multiple authentication methods, including social login with Google, Facebook, and Twitter, email/password authentication, and a built-in user management system accessible via API.
• Supabase supports edge functions, which are serverless functions that run close to users around the world. Reduce latency and speed up code execution by using edge features.
• It also supports real-time updates that can listen to Postgres database events.
• Supabase and Firebase offer similar services, but the main difference between the two is that Supabase is built on top of a relational database, the PostgreSQL database, while Firebase is based on a NoSQL database.
• Supabase pricing is based on the amount of data stored for predictable billing. The free package already includes up to 500MB database and 1GB file storage, perfect for side projects. If you need more storage, the next pricing tier is $25/month.
• You can use GraphQL to query your existing PostgreSQL database.

Which BaaS Platform Should I Use?

The platform you choose depends on the needs of the project you are working on. Firebase uses a NoSQL database, so it’s great for non-relational data, but Supabase is a better choice when working with relational databases. Amplify allows you to create NoSQL databases based on DynamoDB or S3, but you can also use lambda functions to connect to relational databases.

Additionally, if you want to use a GraphQL API, choose Amplify or Supabase as Firebase does not support it.

You should also consider your existing cloud provider, as it may be easier to use a platform built on top of the provider you already use. For example, if you’re using AWS, you might prefer Amplify or Firebase if you’re using Google Cloud. Supabase is a good choice if you don’t want to be tied to a specific cloud vendor.

How BaaS Providers Can Help You Ship Faster

So far, you’ve learned about the capabilities of Amplify, Firebase, Supabase, and some factors to consider when choosing a BaaS provider. Regardless of the platform you choose, BaaS can help you save development time. Instead of configuring databases, building authentication systems, setting up analytics, and other backend services, you can focus on the design and frontend.