For Supabase, Upstash Redis provides a globally available, edge-friendly data layer that fits into their architecture. Combined with custom pricing, Professional Support, and HIPAA compliance, Upstash Enterprise further enables Supabase to scale demanding workloads while maintaining predictable costs and low operational overhead.
About Supabase
Supabase is the open-source Postgres development platform that enables developers to build scalable applications without managing infrastructure. It provides production-ready building blocks such as Postgres databases, authentication, Edge Functions, real-time APIs, and storage, and is trusted by thousands of teams running applications at a global scale.
Tech Stack & How Upstash Fits In
Supabase operates a highly distributed platform with significant global traffic and bandwidth-intensive workloads. As part of its infrastructure, Upstash is used to support latency-sensitive data access patterns, including powering Supabase's Edge Functions.
Because Edge Functions execute close to end users, Supabase needed a data layer that could be accessed globally with low latency, without introducing operational complexity. Upstash's serverless model and multi-region read support fit naturally into this architecture, enabling Supabase to serve edge workloads with consistent performance across regions.
Upstash complements Supabase's existing systems, allowing the team to selectively use the right storage layer based on access patterns and latency requirements.
Why Supabase Chose Upstash
When building their edge architecture, Supabase evaluated several caching and data solutions including ElastiCache, Redis Cloud, and DynamoDB. Upstash emerged as the preferred choice due to its unique combination of capabilities that aligned well with Supabase's requirements for edge workloads.
Upstash stood out for several key reasons: easy global replication, a REST API, sub-100ms reads, and strong uptime reliability. These features made it the ideal solution for powering latency-sensitive Edge Functions without introducing operational complexity.
Building with Upstash
With Upstash as their data layer for edge workloads from the start, Supabase was able to build a streamlined architecture optimized for both performance and cost. Latency-sensitive edge workloads could rely on Upstash for fast, globally available access right out of the gate.
This approach simplified Supabase's edge architecture from day one. Instead of needing to build custom replication or caching layers, the team could rely on Upstash's multi-region capabilities to handle global access patterns out of the box.
At our scale, it's important to use the right tool for the right workload. Upstash lets us power low-latency edge use cases globally, while still keeping our overall architecture simple and cost-effective.
Enterprise Scale and Compliance
After moving to Upstash's Enterprise plan, Supabase also gained more predictable cost modeling at high bandwidth levels. With transparent, usage-based pricing and unlimited bandwidth at a fixed per-GB rate, Supabase was able to scale edge and global workloads without unexpected cost spikes.
Upstash's Enterprise offering further enabled Supabase to meet stricter compliance requirements. With HIPAA support — including execution of a Business Associate Agreement (BAA), aligned internal controls, and ongoing compliance support — Supabase can confidently support healthcare-related workloads without building additional compliance infrastructure internally.