Overview
Self-hosted Supabase replaced a fragile Firebase setup powering a 14 000-user SME portal: row-level security enforces tenant isolation, edge functions handle VAT-invoice generation, and the built-in realtime channel streams job-status updates. Infra cost drops 61%; data residency now fully within Bahrain AWS region.
The challenge
The existing Firebase setup lacked row-level tenant isolation, causing occasional cross-tenant data leaks that scared away enterprise prospects. Bahraini data-localisation requirements also mandated that all PII stay within the Gulf. The team needed a migration path with zero downtime across 14 000 active users.
The solution
We adapted the open-source Supabase stack — self-hosted on Bahrain AWS eu-south-1 — and wrote Postgres RLS policies that enforce tenant_id scoping on every table, removing the application-layer check surface. Edge Functions replaced Cloud Functions for VAT PDF generation, and Supabase Realtime replaced Firestore listeners for live job-status streams. A dual-write migration script ran for three weeks before the final cutover.
Outcomes
Infra cost reduced 61% vs Firebase plan
Zero cross-tenant data leaks since cutover
Bahrain data-residency compliance achieved
VAT invoice generation latency 8s → 1.1s
Key metrics
Tech stack
Services
Client testimonial
“The migration was invisible to our users and the RLS architecture finally let us pitch regulated clients without a legal fight. Worth every dirham.”
— Faisal Al-Hardan, CTO — Murjan Technologies
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