The best tech stack to ship...
After a long marriage to MySQL, I'm filing for divorce. No, it's not just for something shiny and new.
Convex isn't just another "database". It's the whole damn package! I'm trying not to fanboy, but here we are.
What sold me:
- Built by ex-Dropbox engineers who've solved sync nightmares I can't even pronounce
- Batteries included: DB, storage, auth, realtime everything, end-to-end type safe(r)
- AI IDE integration that gives Cursor superpowers
Two in-progress projects that converted me:
1️⃣ Complex agency platform for a major client (choice)
2️⃣ Simple agency management app for my wife's email marketing business (no-choice)
The learning curve was minimal, everything's just Typescript. Now productivity is through the roof and I'm genuinely enjoying it.
Considered Supabase (solid option), but Convex's sync expertise won me over.
If there's a better stack for building reliable, real-time apps without losing my mind, I'm all ears.
Oh, not a shill. I'm sharing because it's for real...
Hi Sam,
It's great to hear about your positive experience with Convex. The fact that it combines database, storage, authentication, and real-time sync with type safety is certainly an attractive proposition for building scalable and reliable applications. It's impressive that you've been able to significantly boost productivity with minimal learning curve, especially with a TypeScript-centric stack.
While Convex seems to be a strong solution for real-time apps, it's worth noting that Supabase remains a solid choice for those seeking a managed PostgreSQL environment with built-in authentication and storage. Additionally, for more flexibility in real-time communication, integrating Socket or Firebase could complement the stack depending on your specific use case.
It sounds like Convex is a great fit for your projects, and I look forward to seeing how it evolves in the real-world applications you're building. Wishing you continued success!
Thanks Aditya. I agree Supabase and Firebase are great products!
I don't have any experience with socket.io if that's what you mean.
But, I'm biased. I prefer MySQL over Postgres for scale.
I explored Supabase early for a FlutterFlow project I was considering, then remembered Convex. For me, the biggest difference is that with Convex, everything is just Typescript (Config, Auth, Schema, RBAC, Functions, Storage, HTTP Actions, API).
I don't have to switch contexts in dashboards and or other configs (except for deployment).
Given my tendency to slow code, this gives me less excuses/distractions and more opportunities to just ship features!
In the end, the stack doesn't matter as much as the underlying system architecture/system design. I'm sure you'll crush it with whatever you choose.
Obviously, I'm of course a big fan of Convex's system design, it's brilliantly simple!
BTW, their new https://chef.convex.dev is probably the most fully baked codegen I've used too. I give it one feature at a time and iterate to greatness. It's the first one I've used since Feb 2023 that really "just works".
Yes. Deff agree with this. I also went the Supabase route but their model of how things work is quite convoluted imo. Convex way of doing things seems more straightforward.
And after a watched a comparison by a technical guy online. I was sold.
I updated my React Router 7 template to only use Convex as the default backend option.
Nice! Am looking forward to exploring Tanstack Start once it's stable. Any chance you remember the video you watched?
Nice to See. I also use React Convex
Awesome!
What specifically about Convex’s TypeScript‑centric, all‑in‑one approach made it a better fit for your projects compared to Supabase?
Hey! Don’t have to think in terms of SQL, configuration for me takes a minute, then everything’s just TS. Big win is not having to worry about optimistic concurrency control/determinism/transactions, there’s a shit ton of less moving parts (similar to Supabase). It’s kind of like iOS vs Android I suppose.
Not sure which is which. Best way to validate which flavor works, fire it up.
EDIT: One last thing I’ll say, I’m an old-timer and my general perception of Convex’s approach too is that it feels more enterprise/production ready overall to so many options because of the minute details they’ve considered through first-hand pain scaling Dropbox.
ICYWW: Here's a link to the full stack with all the choices. Not affiliated (to any of them) in anyway, just thought y'all would get a kick out of the deep AI integration and smooth AF DX: https://replytwo.com/best-tech-stack