PostgREST Alternative for REST, GraphQL and MCP APIs
The best PostgREST alternative depends on what you need around the REST layer. If you only want a thin, fast REST API over Postgres and you are happy to run it, PostgREST is hard to beat. If you also need hosting, per customer keys, quotas, a call log, GraphQL or an MCP server for agents, a generated and hosted API removes the parts you would otherwise build yourself.
Why teams look for a PostgREST alternative
PostgREST turns a Postgres schema into a REST API with almost no code. Tables and views become endpoints, and Postgres roles and row level security decide who sees what. That design is clean, and it is why many teams adopt it. The search for an alternative usually starts after launch. A partner asks for an API key with a monthly quota. A customer success tool needs GraphQL. Somebody wants an agent to query the data and nobody wants to give it a database role. Or the team simply does not want to run, patch and monitor one more service.
What PostgREST does well
Be fair about it. PostgREST is small, fast and predictable. It keeps business rules in the database where they belong, it uses real Postgres permissions, and it has a large body of examples. If your consumers are your own front end and the team is comfortable with SQL, roles and policies, it is a sound choice that many teams run for years.
Where teams outgrow it
- It is a REST engine, not a product around an API. Key issuing, rate limits, quotas and per customer usage are yours to build.
- Hosting is yours. Upgrades, connection pooling, TLS, scaling and uptime checks become a standing job.
- There is no GraphQL endpoint and no MCP server. Each needs a separate project.
- Documentation, SDK examples and a developer portal for outside partners are extra work.
- Your data is not always in Postgres. A MySQL database, a spreadsheet or an OpenAPI file from another team may be the real source.
- Agents get more value from a few named tools with typed arguments than from an open filter syntax.
What to require from the replacement
Write the list before you compare products. Which outputs do consumers need: REST, GraphQL, MCP. Which sources do you have. Who hosts it. How are keys, rate limits and row rules attached. Can you export the code if you leave. How do you see who called what.
The options compared
| Option | Best at | Outputs | Hosting | Keys and logs | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PostgREST | Thin REST layer over Postgres with database roles | REST | You run it | You build it | Engineers who like to wire parts together |
| Hasura | GraphQL on Postgres with fine grained roles | GraphQL, REST from saved queries | Self run or hosted | Roles and your own logging | Teams building GraphQL clients |
| Hand built API | Exact fit | Whatever you write | You run it | You build it | Teams with spare engineers |
| Generated API (APIGenerator) | One definition, several outputs | REST, GraphQL, MCP, OpenAPI | Managed or exported code | Per key limits and call log | Teams serving apps, partners and agents |
PostgREST wins when the database is Postgres, the consumer is your own app and you want the least moving parts. A generated API wins when the same data must reach a REST client, a GraphQL client and an agent, with keys and logs, without three projects.
How the move looks in practice
- List the tables and views your consumers actually call. Many teams find the list is shorter than the schema.
- Upload the schema or describe the data in plain words, and review the proposed endpoints. The database to API page covers the flow.
- Take each row level security policy you rely on and re-create it as a row rule on a key.
- Run the new API next to the old one for a week and compare responses.
- Point REST consumers at the new endpoints, and give agents the MCP server. Teams mocking an API first can also read the Postman mock server alternative guide. The rest api generator page covers the REST output in detail.
What changes for partners and agents
A partner wants a key, a quota and a docs page. An agent wants named tools it cannot misuse. With the same definition you get an OpenAPI file, a hosted endpoint, per key limits and an MCP server whose log shows the key, the tool and the row count of every call. The postgres mcp server page explains how row rules attach to a key. Once the API is public, watching it matters, and a service that checks your API endpoints every 30 seconds tells you about an outage before your partners do.
Cost and when it pays off
Count the engineer hours spent on hosting, upgrades, key handling and wrappers, then compare them with a flat plan, see pricing. The switch pays off when you have more than one kind of consumer, or when nobody on the team wants to operate the service.