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Why Centrali?

Centrali is a backend platform built for developers who need production-ready APIs without managing infrastructure. Here's how it compares to alternatives.

Feature Comparison

Feature Centrali Firebase Supabase Convex
Structured Data Schemas with validation NoSQL (Firestore) PostgreSQL Document DB
Serverless Functions JavaScript runtime Cloud Functions Edge Functions Mutations/Actions
Multi-step Orchestrations Built-in with branching Manual chaining Manual chaining Manual chaining
Multi-tenancy Workspace-scoped by design Manual implementation Row-level security Manual implementation
Real-time SSE streaming with filters Firestore listeners Postgres changes Reactive queries
File Storage Azure Blob + CDN Cloud Storage S3-compatible File storage
Full-text Search Meilisearch built-in Requires Algolia pg_trgm / extensions Third-party
AI Validation Built-in Not available Not available Not available
Anomaly Detection Built-in Not available Not available Not available
Schema Discovery Auto-evolving schemas Schema-less Manual migrations Schema validation
External Auth (BYOT) Clerk, Auth0, Okta Firebase Auth only GoTrue / custom Clerk integration
Webhooks Native with retry Cloud Functions Database webhooks HTTP actions
Secret Fields AES-256-GCM encrypted Not built-in Not built-in Not built-in

Key Differentiators

Multi-tenant by Design

Every API call in Centrali is scoped to a workspace. There's no way to accidentally query across tenants — isolation is enforced at the platform level, not bolted on with row-level policies.

// Every SDK call is automatically workspace-scoped
const centrali = new CentraliSDK({
  workspaceId: 'tenant-acme',  // All operations scoped here
  clientId: process.env.CENTRALI_CLIENT_ID,
  clientSecret: process.env.CENTRALI_CLIENT_SECRET
});

// This only returns records from tenant-acme's workspace
const orders = await centrali.queryRecords('Order', { limit: 50 });

AI Built Into Your Data Layer

Centrali doesn't just store data — it understands it. AI features work directly on your records without external integrations.

  • AI Validation — Detect typos, format errors, and duplicates with auto-fix suggestions
  • Anomaly Insights — Catch unusual patterns and data quality issues automatically
  • Schema Discovery — Let your schema evolve with your data, with AI guiding field type detection

Orchestrations, Not Just Functions

Most platforms offer serverless functions. Centrali adds multi-step orchestrations with:

  • Sequential and parallel steps — Chain functions or run them concurrently
  • Conditional branching — Route execution based on data conditions
  • Built-in delays — Wait hours or days between steps
  • Decision nodes — Complex routing logic without code

Bring Your Own Token (BYOT)

Already using Clerk, Auth0, or Okta? Don't migrate your users. Centrali validates your existing JWTs and maps them to its authorization system.

// Your users authenticate with Clerk/Auth0/Okta as usual
// Centrali validates their tokens and enforces permissions
const centrali = new CentraliSDK({
  workspaceId: 'my-workspace',
  token: clerkUserToken  // Works directly
});

When to Choose Centrali

Choose Centrali if you need:

  • Multi-tenant SaaS backends where data isolation is critical
  • Serverless compute with multi-step orchestrations (not just simple functions)
  • AI-powered data quality features out of the box
  • External IdP integration without migrating users
  • Full-text search without a separate service
  • Encrypted secret fields for sensitive data

Consider alternatives if:

  • You need a relational database with raw SQL access (try Supabase)
  • You're building a mobile-first app with offline sync (try Firebase)
  • You need reactive queries with automatic cache invalidation (try Convex)
  • You want a fully open-source, self-hosted solution (try Supabase)

Get Started

Ready to try Centrali? Build your first API in 10 minutes.

Quick Start Guide