> Source: https://meetrix.io/blogs/supabase-firebase-alternative-gcp/
> Markdown copy of that page. Cite the URL above, not this file.

Development

# Supabase on GCP Marketplace by Meetrix - Deploy the Open-Source Firebase Alternative in Minutes

[By Shalomi Umeshika](https://meetrix.io/blogs/authors/shalomi-umeshika/) • September 2, 2026 • 9 min read

Revised by

-   ![Portrait of Hiruna Kumara, Senior DevOps Engineer at Meetrix](https://meetrix.io/blog-images/assets/authors/hiruna-kumara.webp)[Hiruna Kumara](https://meetrix.io/blogs/authors/hiruna-kumara/)Senior DevOps Engineer, Meetrix

This article was reviewed and refreshed for accuracy. Last reviewed September 2026.

## Supabase on GCP: Skip the Weekend of Docker Compose

Supabase gives you a Postgres database, authentication, file storage, realtime subscriptions, and auto-generated APIs in one package - the open-source answer to Firebase, minus the lock-in. The catch is that running it yourself means wiring together a dozen Docker containers, setting up TLS certificates, tuning Postgres for production, and hoping none of it drifts out of sync the next time you pull an update.

**Supabase on GCP Marketplace** by Meetrix skips that part. We packaged the full Supabase stack - database, Studio, Auth, Storage, Realtime, Edge Functions - into one Google Cloud listing with SSL handled automatically. You get a working backend in your own GCP project in minutes, not a weekend lost to container debugging. Ready to try it? [Launch the Meetrix Supabase listing on GCP Marketplace](https://console.cloud.google.com/marketplace/product/meetrix-public/supabase-firebase-alternative). Prefer AWS? We also run [Supabase on AWS Marketplace](https://meetrix.io/blogs/self-host-supabase-aws-meetrix/).

## What is Supabase?

[Supabase](https://supabase.com/docs) is an open-source backend platform built directly on top of PostgreSQL. It bundles the pieces most apps need - a database, user authentication, file storage, realtime data sync, and instant REST and GraphQL APIs - into one project, which is why people describe it as the open-source Firebase alternative. The difference is that your data sits in a real relational database you can query, back up, and export, not a proprietary store you only access through someone else's SDK. For a fuller side-by-side, see our [Supabase vs Firebase comparison](https://meetrix.io/blogs/supabase-vs-firebase/).

Under the hood, a Supabase project is really several open-source tools working together: PostgreSQL for storage, [GoTrue](https://github.com/supabase/gotrue) for auth, [PostgREST](https://github.com/PostgREST/postgrest) for the auto-generated API layer, a Realtime engine built on Postgres replication, an S3-compatible Storage API, and Edge Functions for custom server-side logic. Studio ties it all together as a single admin dashboard, so day to day you rarely think about the individual pieces.

Why Developers Are Leaving Firebase Behind

Firebase's Blaze plan bills per document read, write, and delete, and Firestore's realtime listeners can trigger far more reads than teams expect once an app has real traffic - it's common to see a bill jump from double digits to four figures in a single month with no code change on your end. Supabase runs on standard PostgreSQL with predictable, compute-based pricing instead, which is a big reason it's become the default open-source alternative for teams moving off Firebase.

## How Deployment Works

Setting up Supabase by hand means provisioning a server, wiring up a dozen Docker containers, configuring a reverse proxy, and getting SSL right before you've created a single table. Through the Marketplace, it's four steps:

1.  **Launch from GCP Marketplace** Open the Meetrix Supabase listing, choose your region and machine type, and deploy. The image arrives with the full Supabase stack already installed and wired together.
2.  **Point Your Domain** Create an A record pointing your domain at the instance's external IP. Supabase needs a real domain for SSL to issue correctly, so an IP address on its own won't work.
3.  **SSL Issues Automatically** Once DNS resolves, the instance requests and installs a Let's Encrypt certificate on its own. No certbot commands, no manual renewal jobs to remember.
4.  **Open Studio and Start Building** Visit your domain, sign in to Studio, and you're creating tables, setting up auth providers, and calling the auto-generated API right away.

## What Meetrix Brings to This Deployment

-   **The Full Stack Wired Together** - Postgres, Auth, Storage, Realtime, Edge Functions, and Studio all talk to each other from first boot. You're not stitching six separate services together and debugging why Realtime can't see your database.
-   **SSL Without the Renewal Babysitting** - Certificates issue and renew on their own. Most people who self-host find out about certificate expiry the hard way, usually right when a customer is trying to log in.
-   **Real Postgres, Not a Black Box** - It's the actual PostgreSQL instance underneath. Connect any Postgres client, run your own migrations, add extensions - nothing about it is hidden behind a proprietary layer.
-   **No Per-Document Billing** - You're paying for the GCP instance underneath, not per read, write, or delete. A busy day of realtime traffic doesn't turn into a surprise invoice.
-   **People Who Actually Run This Stack** - If something needs tuning or you want help with backups or scaling, you're talking to engineers who deploy Supabase regularly, not a support queue reading from a script.

## Who Is Supabase on GCP Right For?

This deployment fits anyone who wants a Postgres-backed application platform without a usage-based bill hanging over it. It's a strong match if you're:

-   A developer who wants Firebase's speed of development without Firebase's per-document pricing
-   A team migrating off Firebase for cost, data control, or wanting a relational data model instead of a document store
-   A SaaS startup building on Postgres from day one instead of retrofitting a relational database later
-   A compliance-conscious team that needs to guarantee which GCP region customer data lives in - see our [Supabase self-hosting security best practices](https://meetrix.io/blogs/supabase-self-hosted-security/) for the full checklist
-   An agency or consultancy standing up a similar backend for multiple client projects
-   An engineering team already on GCP that would rather consolidate infrastructure than split it across vendors
-   A solo founder who wants a production-grade backend without becoming a full-time DevOps engineer

## Supabase on GCP by Meetrix vs Alternatives

| Feature | Supabase on GCP by Meetrix | Firebase | Supabase Cloud | Self-Hosted Supabase (Manual) |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Hosting | Your GCP project, fully self-hosted | Google's managed infrastructure, no self-host option | Supabase's cloud, no self-host option | Your GCP VM, set up by you |
| Data Control | Total - a real Postgres database you own | Firestore data lives on Google's infrastructure | Data lives on Supabase's infrastructure | Total, once configured correctly |
| Deployment Time | Minutes via GCP Marketplace | Instant SaaS signup | Instant SaaS signup | Hours to days, more for Postgres tuning |
| SSL & Auth | Automated, issued and renewed on its own | Handled by Google | Handled by Supabase | Manual - easy to misconfigure |
| Pricing Model | GCP compute costs only, no per-document billing | Pay per read, write, and delete - scales with usage | Per-project subscription plus usage overages | GCP compute costs only |
| GDPR / Data Residency | Pick your GCP region, data stays put | Limited region control, Google's data terms apply | Limited to Supabase's supported regions | On you to configure correctly |
| Support | Meetrix engineers, 24/7 | Google support tiers | Supabase support tiers | Community forums, or you fix it yourself |

## Resources

[

Supabase on GCP - Developer Guide

A step-by-step walkthrough of deploying Supabase on Google Cloud - launching the Meetrix image, pointing DNS, and accessing Studio for your self-hosted Firebase alternative.

Meetrix.IO | Binuka Ranatunga

![Supabase on GCP Developer Guide Thumbnail](https://meetrix.io/blog-images/paas-dev-guides/supabase-gcp/supabase-devguide-gcp.png)](https://meetrix.io/blogs/supabase-gcp-developer-guide/)

### Quick Setup Walkthrough

## How Teams Use This in Production

SaaS | North America

74%lower monthly backend costs

### Leaving Firebase Before Usage Costs Outpaced Revenue

The problem

A SaaS startup built its MVP on Firebase Firestore. As usage grew, realtime listeners started triggering far more reads than the team expected, and the Blaze plan bill climbed past what they were charging customers for the plan tier it was serving.

What we did

We migrated their schema into Postgres, moved Auth and Storage over to Supabase, and deployed the stack on a Meetrix GCP Marketplace instance sized for their traffic.

Monthly backend costs down 74% Billing now tied to compute, not usage Realtime features kept working with fewer surprises

> "Our Firebase bill was growing faster than our revenue, and nobody on the team could explain a given month's total. With Postgres, we can actually look at a query and understand the cost." _Founder, SaaS Company, United States_

Fintech | Europe

100%in-region data residency

### Meeting a Data Residency Requirement Firebase Could Not

The problem

A fintech startup building a payments dashboard needed a guarantee that customer financial data stayed inside a specific EU region. Firebase's region options didn't give their compliance team the control it needed, and row-level security was a hard requirement Firestore's rules engine couldn't fully satisfy.

What we did

We deployed Supabase inside their GCP project in europe-west3, configured row-level security policies mapped to their access model, and documented the setup for their auditor.

All data confirmed in the required EU region Row-level security matched compliance requirements Audit passed on first review

> "We needed to point at a region on a map and say that's where the data lives, full stop. Supabase on our own GCP project let us do that in a way Firebase's rules engine never could." _Head of Engineering, Fintech Company, Netherlands_

Digital Agency | Asia Pacific

7client backends standardized

### Giving Every Client Project the Same Backend Instead of Reinventing It

The problem

A digital agency had been building each client's backend around whatever the project called for - Firebase for one client, a custom Express and Mongo setup for another. Handovers took longer than the builds, and only the original engineer really understood how each one worked.

What we did

We helped them standardize on Supabase deployed through the GCP Marketplace listing, using the same base configuration for every new client engagement.

7 client backends running on the same template Handover documentation reused instead of rewritten New projects start with working Auth and APIs on day one

> "Every project used to mean relearning someone else's decisions from six months earlier. Now every client starts on the same Supabase setup, and any of us can pick it up." _Technical Lead, Digital Agency, Australia_

## Frequently Asked Questions

Can I run Supabase on Google Cloud instead of Supabase Cloud or AWS?

Yes, that's exactly what this listing is. It runs the full Supabase stack inside your own GCP project, separate from Supabase's own hosted cloud and from our AWS listing, for teams who specifically want it on Google Cloud.

Is this the same as Supabase Cloud?

No. This is a self-hosted deployment of the open-source Supabase stack running inside your own GCP project, not Supabase's hosted service. Your database and files stay on infrastructure you control.

Does this include Supabase Studio?

Yes. You get the full browser-based Studio dashboard over HTTPS, so you can manage tables, auth users, storage buckets, and edge functions the same way you would on Supabase Cloud.

Can I migrate from Firebase or Supabase Cloud to this?

Moving from Supabase Cloud is fairly direct - a Postgres dump and restore covers most of it, and we walk through the exact steps in our [Supabase Cloud migration guide](https://meetrix.io/blogs/migrate-supabase-cloud-to-self-hosted/). Moving from Firebase takes more work, since Firestore is a NoSQL document store and Supabase runs on relational Postgres, so your data model needs to be restructured rather than copied over as-is.

Do I get a real Postgres database I can connect to directly?

Yes. It is a standard PostgreSQL instance under the hood. You can connect with any Postgres client, run your own migrations, add extensions, and query it exactly like you would any Postgres database you manage yourself.

Is SSL configured automatically?

Yes. Once your domain's DNS points at the instance, it requests and installs a Let's Encrypt certificate on its own, and handles renewal without any manual steps on your end.

Can this scale as my app grows?

Yes. You can resize the underlying GCP instance as traffic grows, and Meetrix can help with connection pooling, read replicas, or backup strategy once you're operating at a scale where those start to matter.

## Run Your Own Backend on Your Own Infrastructure

Stop paying per document for a backend you don't control. Deploy Supabase on Google Cloud in minutes, set up by people who run this stack themselves.

[Deploy on GCP Marketplace](https://console.cloud.google.com/marketplace/product/meetrix-public/supabase-firebase-alternative)

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Supabase

Postgres, Auth, Storage and Realtime, self-hosted

[Deploy it](https://meetrix.io/store/supabase/)

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