Comparison
ToasterDB vs PostgREST
PostgREST turns your PostgreSQL schema into a REST API. ToasterDB turns it into a complete application platform with security, privacy, and a UI layer built in.
Feature by feature
How they compare
| Feature | ToasterDB | PostgREST |
|---|---|---|
| Field-Level Security | ✓ Per-role include/exclude/mask | ✕ |
| Row-Level Security | ✓ CEL expressions, app layer | ✓ Postgres-native RLS |
| Validation Engine | ✓ CEL-based, schema-driven | ✕ |
| PII Classification & Masking | ✓ Built-in, per-role strategies | ✕ |
| GDPR/CCPA Erasure | ✓ One-call subject erasure | ✕ |
| Purpose-Based Access Control | ✓ | ✕ |
| Auto-Generated Forms | ✓ JSON Schema + UI Schema | ✕ |
| App Builder | ✓ Pages, nav, themes | ✕ |
| Eject to Code | ✓ React / Expo | ✕ |
| Multi-Tenancy | ✓ First-class, header-based | ~ DIY via schema/RLS |
| CDC / Event Streaming | ✓ Built-in with cursors | ✕ |
| Audit Trail | ✓ Field-level diffs | ✕ |
| Differential Privacy | ✓ Epsilon-budget tracking | ✕ |
Honest take
When to choose PostgREST
- ▶ You already have a well-designed PostgreSQL schema and just need a thin REST layer on top of it.
- ▶ Your team is comfortable writing and maintaining RLS policies directly in SQL.
- ▶ You don't need field-level security, PII masking, or GDPR erasure workflows.
- ▶ You want a minimal, single-purpose tool with no opinions about your application layer.
- ▶ You're building internal tooling or prototypes where privacy compliance is not a concern.
Our strength
When to choose ToasterDB
- ▶ You need field-level security -- controlling which fields each role can see, edit, or never access.
- ▶ Privacy and compliance are requirements, not afterthoughts. PII classification, masking, erasure, and audit logs are built in.
- ▶ You want schema-driven validation so business rules are defined once and enforced everywhere.
- ▶ You're building a multi-tenant SaaS product and need automatic tenant isolation without schema-per-tenant complexity.
- ▶ You want auto-generated forms, an app builder, and the ability to eject to React or Expo when you outgrow the platform.
The bottom line
PostgREST is an excellent tool for what it does: exposing your Postgres tables as a REST API with zero application code. If that's all you need, it's a great choice. But if you need security beyond row-level, privacy compliance, validation, forms, or an app runtime -- you'll end up building all of that yourself. ToasterDB ships it from day one.
Ready to go beyond a REST layer?
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