Specific vs Convex
How Specific compares to Convex as an alternative built on open standards: real PostgreSQL and SQL instead of a proprietary runtime, any backend language, and an agent-first workflow.
Convex is a backend platform that replaces your database, server, and real-time layer with a single proprietary runtime. You write mutations, queries, and actions in Convex’s format, and your data lives in Convex’s document-oriented store. Specific takes a different approach: your coding agent defines standard infrastructure in a config file, and your code stays portable by building on open-source technology like PostgreSQL. If you’re looking for a Convex alternative without the proprietary data store and runtime, here’s how the two compare.
| Convex | Specific | |
|---|---|---|
| Data model | Proprietary document store | Standard PostgreSQL |
| Query language | Convex query/mutation functions | Standard SQL through Postgres |
| Backend logic | Convex actions (JS/TS only) | Any stack, standard backend code without lock-in |
| Real-time | Reactive queries through SDK | Built-in sync engine that works with any stack |
| Code portability | Tightly coupled to Convex runtime | Standard code with no vendor lock-in |
| Storage | Convex file storage API | S3-compatible, any S3 client |
| Open-source foundation | Proprietary data store and runtime | Standard protocols like PostgreSQL and S3 |
| Agent integration | Not designed for agents | Agent-first |
Designed for coding agents
Convex targets human developers writing backend logic in its proprietary format: mutations, queries, and actions that follow Convex-specific conventions. This is a workflow optimized for humans reading Convex documentation.
Specific is built so that coding agents define infrastructure, deploy services, and debug issues through a config file and CLI. This is the workflow agents are best at: writing configuration, running commands, and interpreting structured output.
Built on open-source, not proprietary infrastructure
Convex uses a proprietary document store and runtime that is not open-source. Your data lives in a system controlled by a single vendor, with no standard tooling ecosystem around it.
Specific builds on battle-tested open-source technology: standard PostgreSQL for your data, S3-compatible storage, and Redis for caching. These are systems with decades of community support, tooling, and portability. If you ever need to move, your data and your knowledge transfer with you.
No vendor-specific code in your application
With Convex, your backend logic is written as Convex mutations, queries, and actions, a format that only runs on the Convex runtime. Your application code is tightly coupled to one platform.
With Specific, you write a normal code using any programming language and stack, whatever fits your project. Your code is standard and portable. If you switch infrastructure providers, your application code still works.
Any language, not just TypeScript
Convex backend functions must be written in JavaScript or TypeScript. If your project needs a different language Convex can’t accommodate that.
Specific supports any language or framework. Your services can run Node.js, Python, Go, Rust, or anything else. Pick the right tool for the job.
Common questions
Is Specific a good alternative to Convex?
If you want your data in standard PostgreSQL, your backend in any language, and no coupling to a vendor runtime, yes. If you specifically want Convex’s reactive query model and are happy in its TypeScript-only runtime, Convex does that well. The core difference is portability: with Specific, your code and data would survive leaving the platform.
Does Specific have real-time sync like Convex?
Yes. Specific has a built-in sync engine powered by Electric that streams Postgres changes to clients over plain HTTP. Unlike Convex’s SDK-bound subscriptions, it works with any language and framework.
Can I migrate from Convex to Specific?
There’s no automated migration: Convex mutations, queries, and actions are coupled to its runtime, so they need rewriting as standard backend code against Postgres. That rewrite is work a coding agent handles well, and it’s the last time your backend logic is tied to a platform.