Bubble.io Database Strategy: Why and When to 'Graduate' to Supabase

When building a new app, one of the most critical early decisions is your database strategy. Should you start with Bubble's native database or immediately set up an external database like Supabase? After years of building and migrating Bubble apps, here's my perspective.

The Speed of Iteration Matters Most

In the early stages of product development, speed of iteration is your most valuable asset. Bubble's native database is a superpower in this regard. Want to add a field? It takes less than 3 seconds. Need to modify a design or data structure? It's instantaneous.

With Bubble, you can nearly develop at the pace of your thoughts. Each design iteration, each pivot, each experimental feature can be implemented almost as quickly as you can imagine it. This rapid prototyping is crucial when you're searching for product-market fit.

The Pain of External Database Changes

Contrast this with an external database like Supabase. Small changes become a complex choreography:

• Typing names correctly in multiple places
• Updating API plugin types
• Carefully managing schema changes
• Ensuring referential integrity

Each change becomes a careful, cautious process. You'll find yourself developing more slowly, more deliberately – the exact opposite of the exploratory, experimental approach that defines early-stage product development.

The Optimal Strategy: Intentional Development with Future Migration in Mind

My recommended approach is nuanced:

1. Start with Bubble's Native Database
   • Leverage the speed of iteration
   • Rapidly prototype and find product-market fit
   • Keep development costs low
2. Develop with 'Graduation' in Mind
   • Structure your data intentionally
   • Use naming conventions that will translate well to PostgreSQL
   • Avoid complex, tightly-coupled data structures
   • Treat your initial database as a stepping stone, not a final destination

When to Consider 'Graduation'

Two primary drivers typically push founders to migrate:

1. Unsustainable Operational Costs
   • Bubble's Work Unit (WU) pricing becomes prohibitive
   • Your app's success starts to become financially constraining
2. Strategic Business Considerations
   • Desire for more control over your tech stack
   • Improving company valuation by reducing vendor lock-in
   • Need for more advanced database features

Reframing Migration: It's a Graduation, Not a migration

I'm increasingly seeing database migration not as a painful transition, but as a natural growth phase. Just as a startup evolves from a garage to an office, your app's database can evolve from a rapid prototyping tool to a robust, scalable system.

Have the best of both worlds and just be mindful of the compromises.

The Future: Industrializing the Graduation Process

The goal is to create tooling that makes database graduation as smooth and intuitive as possible for no-code builders.

Plan B Backups. This tool offers a revolutionary one-click approach to database migration. With Plan B, you can:

• Export your entire Bubble data and schema automatically
• Create primary keys in the new database without manual intervention
• Perform an initial migration to visualize exactly how your data translates from Bubble to Supabase

This type of smart tooling is precisely what the no-code development community needs – solutions that demystify and simplify the technical complexities of database graduation.

My goal with PlanB is I am trying take the technical challenge into a straightforward, manageable process.

Key Takeaway

Start with Bubble. Develop fast. Build intentionally. And when the time is right, graduate.

Disclaimer: Every app is unique. This strategy works for many, but always consider your specific use case and consult with technical advisors.

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