Choosing the Right Backend Solution for a College Event Website: Supabase or MongoDB + Render + Hono?

Designing a website for a college festival involves balancing ease of development with reliable performance. With around 2,000 attendees expected, selecting the ideal backend stack is crucial to ensure a smooth user experience without overcomplicating the setup. Let’s explore two popular options—Supabase and a combination of MongoDB Atlas, Render, and Hono—and examine their strengths and potential challenges.

Evaluating the Options

Supabase: An All-in-One Backend Platform

• Rapid setup with integrated authentication via Google or other providers.
• Uses a relational PostgreSQL database with autogenerated API endpoints and real-time capabilities.
• Generous free tier offering 50,000 monthly users, 500MB database storage, 5GB outbound bandwidth, and 1GB media storage.
• Minimal backend management, allowing focus on UI/UX design.
• Plug-and-play architecture suitable for quick deployment, especially for small to medium-sized projects.

MongoDB Atlas + Render + Hono: A Flexible DIY Stack

• Proven stability from last year’s implementation, with familiar workflows.
• Substantially higher outbound bandwidth (up to 40GB/month), reducing concerns over limits.
• NoSQL data model enabling flexible, nested data structures.
• Customizable API logic with Hono, deployed on Render, managing authentication with tools like NextAuth or JWT.
• Requires manual setup for persistent connections, such as keep-alive or scheduled “warm-up” routines to mitigate cold starts on Render’s free tier.
• More granular control over endpoints and data management.

Weighing the Pros and Cons

Advantages of Supabase

• Simplifies development with built-in authentication and databases.
• Fast to launch, ideal for agile iterations.
• Less infrastructure management, reducing potential bugs and deployment issues.
• Suitable for text-heavy applications with minimal file storage needs.

Advantages of MongoDB + Render + Hono

• Greater control over backend logic and data handling.
• Higher bandwidth limits reduce the risk of performance bottlenecks.
• Flexibility to adapt as the event scales or requirements evolve.
• Familiar setup from previous experience, with fewer surprises.

The Dilemma

Supabase offers a seamless, worry-free experience, perfect for rapid deployment and minimal backend overhead. Its limited bandwidth might pose challenges if the event experiences unexpected traffic spikes, but for typical user activity—mainly JSON data and URLs—it may suffice.

Conversely, the Mongo