Supabase self-hosting requirements: RAM, CPU and cost
Official minimum: 4 GB RAM, 2 cores, 40 GB disk. Recommended: 8 GB, 4 cores, 80 GB. What that means for a real server, and what it costs against Cloud.
Self-hosted Supabase needs at least 4 GB of RAM, 2 CPU cores and 40 GB of SSD, and Supabase recommends 8 GB or more of RAM, 4 or more cores and 80 GB or more of SSD. Those are Supabase’s own figures for running all its components, before your app, its builds or a second database. In practice that means an 8 GB server for anything real. This post turns the official numbers into server sizes and a cost comparison, and shows how Aria Cloud covers the rest.
We build Aria Cloud, which sells servers that run Supabase, and we recommend it for this job. Facts last checked 31 October 2026.
What are the official requirements?
| Minimum | Recommended | |
|---|---|---|
| RAM | 4 GB | 8 GB or more |
| CPU | 2 cores | 4 cores or more |
| Disk | 40 GB SSD | 80 GB or more SSD |
Source: the Supabase Docker self-hosting guide, which calls the minimum the requirement “for running all Supabase components”. The same page says you can remove the Realtime, Storage, imgproxy or Edge Runtime sections from the compose file to reduce the requirement.
Why is RAM the number that matters?
Supabase is a set of services, not one program. The default stack runs an Envoy gateway, Auth, PostgREST, Realtime, Storage, imgproxy, an Edge Runtime for functions, postgres-meta, Studio, Postgres and the Supavisor connection pooler. Logflare and Vector, which add the log explorer in Studio, are not in the default setup. The official guide says enabling them increases resource requirements.
On a small server, memory is usually the first limit you hit. When a container goes over what the machine has, the Linux out-of-memory killer ends a process, as Docker’s documentation describes. That is how a database ends up restarting in the middle of a request.
What else sits on the same server?
Your own code. The official numbers cover Supabase alone, so you add:
- Your app or API. One service per process.
- Its builds. A Next.js build is the biggest spike, and it competes with the running stack for memory.
- Redis or a second database, if the app has its own.
- Spare room, because estimates are never exact.
Aria’s sizing tool, estimateStack, adds these up for an aria.yaml. It counts a base for the operating system, Docker and the proxy (416 MB), each service, each database, the largest single build, and then at least 20 percent spare (never under 512 MB). These are estimates from typical memory use, not measurements. Here is what it says for three stacks that include Supabase:
| Stack | Running | Largest build | Spare | Total need | Smallest plan that fits |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A Node API with Supabase | 4,384 MB | 1,024 MB | 1,082 MB | 6,490 MB | Developer (8 GB) |
| A Next.js app with Supabase | 4,384 MB | 2,048 MB | 1,287 MB | 7,719 MB | Developer (8 GB) |
| A Next.js app, an API and a worker, with Supabase | 5,152 MB | 2,048 MB | 1,440 MB | 8,640 MB | Pro (12 GB) |
In that estimate Supabase itself accounts for 3,584 MB of running memory, which matches the “about 4 GB” in Aria’s Supabase docs. The Next.js app with Supabase leaves 473 MB spare on an 8 GB server. That fits, and it is tight.
Which server size should you pick?
These rows use Aria’s real plans and prices, ex VAT, read from the live price list on 31 October 2026.
| Plan | vCPU / RAM / disk | Price | What it suits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starter | 2 / 4 GB / 40 GB | £9 | The official minimum for Supabase alone. Fine for a test, not for an app on top |
| Developer | 4 / 8 GB / 75 GB | £16 | Supabase and one app. Tight with a Next.js build |
| Pro | 6 / 12 GB / 100 GB | £23 | Supabase with an app, API and worker, with room for builds |
| Business | 8 / 16 GB / 200 GB | £30 | Heavier databases or several apps |
One mismatch to note: Supabase recommends 80 GB or more of disk, and Developer has 75 GB. For a file-heavy app, pick Pro or higher, or point Storage at an S3-compatible backend, which the official guide describes.
Starter has exactly the minimum, with no room for your app, so choose Developer or larger for Supabase.
What does it cost, with the arithmetic?
Cost has four inputs. Put your own numbers in.
Supabase Cloud monthly cost = plan fee + usage beyond what the plan includes. Pro starts at $25 a month and includes 8 GB of database disk, 250 GB of egress and daily backups kept for 7 days. It also includes $10 of compute credit, which covers one Micro instance. Beyond that, disk is $0.125 per GB and egress is $0.09 per GB (Supabase pricing, read 31 October 2026). Team starts at $599.
Self-hosted monthly cost = the server + backup storage + email provider + your time. On a raw VPS you pay each of those. On Aria, the server is £16 (Developer) or £23 (Pro) ex VAT, nightly encrypted backups are taken for you and stored off the server, and the billing docs list no separate charge for them. You still need an email provider for Auth.
| Input | Supabase Cloud Pro | Raw VPS | Aria Cloud |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fixed fee | From $25 a month | Your host’s price | £16 or £23 a month ex VAT |
| Where your app runs | Elsewhere, so a second bill | Same server | Same server |
| Backups | Daily, kept 7 days | You build and test them | Nightly, encrypted, off the server |
| Updates and security | Supabase | You | Aria runs the server |
| Your time | Close to none | Hours every month | Close to none |
We are not claiming a break-even. The US dollar and pound figures are different currencies, we have not converted them, and the right comparison includes the hours you would spend on a raw VPS. If you want a single number, value an hour of your time, multiply by the hours a month you expect to spend, and add that to the server price. Two hours a month at an hourly value of £30 adds £60, which is more than the server costs. Your inputs will differ.
What does the Docker setup leave to you?
Supabase’s self-hosting overview lists what the managed platform has and the Docker setup does not: branching, managed backups and point-in-time recovery, advanced metrics beyond logs, analytics and vector buckets, and the Management API. Studio does not support multiple organisations or projects. Support is community-based, through GitHub Discussions, GitHub Issues, Discord and Reddit.
Backups are the biggest job. The official Docker guide does not cover backups at all. On Aria, nightly backups are taken for you. See the production checklist for what a replacement needs.
Why choose Aria Cloud over Supabase Cloud?
Supabase Cloud’s $25 Pro plan bills your app’s hosting elsewhere. On Aria, your app and Supabase share one flat-price server, nobody on the team runs it, and the data sits where you choose. It pays most when you run several projects or want the app and database on one machine. Read which route suits your situation for the options.
FAQ
Does Supabase run on 4 GB of RAM?
The official minimum is 4 GB for all Supabase components. That leaves nothing for your app, its builds or a second database. Use 8 GB or more for anything you care about.
How much RAM does self-hosted Supabase need?
At least 4 GB; 8 GB or more recommended by Supabase. Aria’s estimate for Supabase on its own is about 3.5 GB of running memory, and it counts the rest of your stack on top.
Can I use a swap file?
The official guide says nothing about swap, so we cannot point you to guidance. Swap is far slower than RAM. Treat it as an emergency buffer, not capacity.
Do I need an SSD?
The official requirement is an SSD, 40 GB at the minimum and 80 GB or more recommended.
Does Postgres or Realtime use more memory under load?
Yes, memory grows with connections and data. Aria’s estimator treats Realtime-heavy apps separately by counting connections instead of page views. We have not published load-test figures, so size with room to spare.
What does Supabase cost on Aria?
Supabase is included at no extra cost on the server your plan already pays for. Plans start at £9 a month ex VAT, and Developer (£16) is the smallest we suggest for Supabase. See pricing, Supabase on Aria and self-hosted Supabase, managed for you.
Size your own stack. See pricing, compare Aria with Supabase Cloud, or get started.
Keep reading
How to run multiple apps on one VPS (and size it)
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Self-hosted Supabase in production: the checklist
What the official Supabase Docker guide leaves to you: secrets, HTTPS, email, backups, upgrades and monitoring. A checklist with the commands that matter.
Why is my Vercel bill so high? Pricing explained (2026)
What a Vercel Pro bill is made of: seats, monthly credit, builds, images, bandwidth and add-ons, why it jumps, and what spend management can and cannot do.
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