stackstash

Apache Kafka vs Supabase

Apache Kafka is free. Supabase is Est. $25/mo.

$300/year for Supabase.

Apache Kafka logo: A log that services publish events to, and other services read later.
Apache Kafka logo: A log that services publish events to, and other services read later.

Apache Kafka

Free

A log that services publish events to, and other services read later.

Try it

Pros of Apache Kafka

  • Producers do not wait on every downstream service

  • You can replay events after a bug

  • It holds up once you actually have a stream of events

Cons of Apache Kafka

  • Running a cluster is a lot for one app

  • A database is the simpler choice until you need a stream

Supabase logo: Hosted Postgres with auth, file storage, and realtime included.
Supabase logo: Hosted Postgres with auth, file storage, and realtime included.

Supabase

Est. $25/mo

Hosted Postgres with auth, file storage, and realtime included.

Try it

Pros of Supabase

  • A database and login without a separate server

  • The data is still Postgres, so Drizzle can talk to it

  • The free project is enough to prototype

Cons of Supabase

  • Row level security is easy to get wrong

  • You are tied to their dashboard for the managed pieces