The Stack

React Native 0.81 + Expo ~54 on the frontend. NestJS 11 on the backend. Supabase for auth and database. All in one monorepo.

I used this exact stack to ship 4 apps in a month. Not prototypes. Real apps on the App Store.

Why This Combination

React Native + Expo — I've shipped production apps in both Flutter and React Native. React Native won for me because the JavaScript ecosystem means existing npm packages work, TypeScript is first-class, and Expo ~54 made the App Store submission workflow reproducible enough to automate.

NestJS — The AI agents need predictable structure. NestJS's module/controller/service pattern is opinionated enough that the Executor agent knows exactly where to put things. Simpler Express setups give AI too much latitude. Output gets inconsistent.

Supabase — PostgreSQL with Row Level Security. OAuth, email, magic link auth out of the box. Real-time subscriptions. Storage. No Firebase lock-in, no vendor-specific query language.

What's Pre-Configured

Layer	Technology	What's Done
Mobile	React Native + Expo	Navigation, auth flow, state management
Backend	NestJS 11	REST APIs, WebSocket gateway, auth guard
Database	Supabase	Schema, RLS policies, migrations
Auth	Supabase Auth	Email, OAuth, magic link, session handling
Deployment	Docker + GitHub Actions	CI/CD to Oracle Cloud free tier

Architecture

Mobile App (React Native + Expo)
    ↓ REST / WebSocket
NestJS Backend (Docker on Oracle Cloud)
    ↓ Supabase SDK
Supabase (PostgreSQL + Auth + Storage)

The monorepo structure means shared types between frontend and backend. Change a database schema, and TypeScript catches mismatches in both layers immediately.

What I Learned Shipping 4 Apps With This Stack

1. Supabase RLS is non-negotiable. Without it, every endpoint needs manual auth checks. With it, the database enforces access rules regardless of what the backend does.

2. NestJS guards + Supabase JWTs = zero auth code. The guard validates the JWT. The service queries Supabase. No auth logic in business code.

3. Expo EAS Build changed everything. Before EAS, I spent 8-16 hours per app on code signing and provisioning. Now it's one command.

4. The monorepo pays for itself in week 2. Shared types, shared configs, one git push deploys everything.

Who This Is For

• Solo developers shipping mobile apps
• Freelancers extending from React web to React Native mobile
• Indie hackers who want a production stack, not a tutorial project

Related

• NestJS Backend — details on the backend layer
• Supabase Auth — how auth is wired
• React Native Setup Time — the problem this solves