Supabase Setup

This guide will walk you through setting up Supabase for both local development and production environments.

Prerequisites

• Node.js 16+ installed
• Docker installed (for local development)
• Git installed
• A Supabase account (for cloud deployment)

Local Development Setup

1. Install Supabase CLI

npm install -g supabase

2. Initialize Supabase in Your Project

cd your-project
supabase init

This creates a supabase directory with the following structure:

supabase/
├── config.toml
├── seed.sql
└── migrations/

3. Start Local Supabase Services

supabase start

This command:

• Starts a local PostgreSQL database
• Starts the Supabase API
• Starts the Supabase Auth service
• Starts the Supabase Storage service
• Starts the Supabase Edge Functions service

4. Access Local Services

After starting the services, you’ll see URLs for:

• API: http://localhost:54321
• Studio: http://localhost:54323
• Database: postgresql://postgres:postgres@localhost:54322/postgres

5. Configure Environment Variables

Create a .env file in your project root:

# Local Development
DATABASE_URL="postgresql://postgres:postgres@localhost:54322/postgres"
DIRECT_URL="postgresql://postgres:postgres@localhost:54322/postgres"
SUPABASE_URL="http://localhost:54321"
SUPABASE_ANON_KEY="your-anon-key"
SUPABASE_SERVICE_ROLE_KEY="your-service-role-key"

Cloud Deployment

1. Create a Supabase Project

1. Go to supabase.com
2. Sign in or create an account
3. Click “New Project”
4. Fill in the project details:
   • Name
   • Database password
   • Region
   • Pricing plan

2. Get Project Credentials

After project creation, you’ll get:

• Project URL
• API Keys (anon and service_role)
• Database connection strings

3. Update Environment Variables

Update your .env file with production credentials:

# Production
DATABASE_URL="postgresql://postgres:[YOUR-PASSWORD]@db.[YOUR-PROJECT-REF].supabase.co:5432/postgres"
DIRECT_URL="postgresql://postgres:[YOUR-PASSWORD]@db.[YOUR-PROJECT-REF].supabase.co:5432/postgres"
SUPABASE_URL="https://[YOUR-PROJECT-REF].supabase.co"
SUPABASE_ANON_KEY="your-anon-key"
SUPABASE_SERVICE_ROLE_KEY="your-service-role-key"

4. Link Local Project to Remote

supabase link --project-ref your-project-ref

Database Management

Using Supabase Studio

1. Access Studio:

   • Local: http://localhost:54323
   • Cloud: https://app.supabase.com

2. Features available:

   • Table editor
   • SQL editor
   • Database backups
   • User management
   • API documentation

Database Migrations

1. Create a migration:

supabase migration new your_migration_name

2. Apply migrations:

supabase db push

3. Reset database:

supabase db reset

Security Best Practices

1. API Keys

   • Never commit API keys to version control
   • Use environment variables
   • Rotate keys regularly

2. Database Security

   • Use strong passwords
   • Enable SSL connections
   • Set up IP allow lists

3. Row Level Security (RLS)

   • Enable RLS on tables
   • Define appropriate policies
   • Test security policies

Monitoring and Maintenance

1. Database Monitoring

• Use Supabase Dashboard for:
  • Query performance
  • Database size
  • Connection pool
  • Error rates

2. Regular Maintenance

• Monitor database size
• Check for unused indexes
• Review and optimize queries
• Regular backups

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

1. Connection Problems

   # Check Supabase status
   supabase status
   
   # Restart services
   supabase stop
   supabase start
   

2. Migration Issues

   # Reset database
   supabase db reset
   
   # Check migration status
   supabase migration list
   

3. Performance Issues

   • Check query performance in Studio
   • Review database indexes
   • Monitor connection pool

Additional Resources

• Supabase Documentation