Hanzo Base: Backend-as-a-Service for Modern Applications

Introducing Hanzo Base — a complete backend-as-a-service with database, auth, storage, and realtime capabilities.

Every application needs the same five things: a database, authentication, file storage, real-time subscriptions, and an API layer. Every team builds these from scratch, makes the same mistakes, and spends months on infrastructure before writing a line of product code.

Today we are launching Hanzo Base: a complete backend-as-a-service.

What Hanzo Base Provides

Database

PostgreSQL with a real-time API layer:

  • Full PostgreSQL — not a subset, not a proprietary query language
  • Row-level security policies for fine-grained access control
  • Auto-generated REST and GraphQL APIs from your schema
  • Real-time subscriptions on any table
  • Database branching for development and testing

Authentication

Hanzo Identity integrated out of the box:

  • Email/password, social login, magic links, MFA
  • Row-level security policies tied to user identity
  • Session management handled automatically
  • No additional configuration required

Storage

S3-compatible object storage with CDN:

  • Upload files directly from client applications
  • Access control tied to authentication
  • Automatic image transformations (resize, crop, format)
  • CDN delivery for optimal performance

Edge Functions

Serverless compute powered by Hanzo Functions:

  • Custom server-side logic without managing servers
  • Access to database and storage from function context
  • Triggered by HTTP requests, database events, or schedules

Realtime

WebSocket-based real-time subscriptions:

  • Subscribe to database changes
  • Broadcast messages to connected clients
  • Presence tracking (who is online)
  • Channel-based communication

Why Not Firebase

Firebase locks you into Google's proprietary stack. Your data lives in Firestore with a proprietary query language. Migration requires rewriting your entire data layer.

Hanzo Base is PostgreSQL. If you leave, take your database with you. Run it anywhere. No lock-in.

Pricing

  • Free: 500MB database, 1GB storage, 50K function invocations
  • Pro: $25/month — 8GB database, 100GB storage, unlimited functions
  • Enterprise: Dedicated infrastructure, custom limits

Zach Kelling is the founder of Hanzo AI (Techstars '17).

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