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Supabase Essentials

Complete guide to Supabase - open source Firebase alternative with PostgreSQL, Auth, Storage, and Realtime subscriptions

10 min read
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Setup & Configuration

Getting started with Supabase

Installation & Setup

Setting up Supabase in your project

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🚀 Full PostgreSQL database with instant APIs
🔧 Local development with Docker support
☁️ Managed cloud hosting or self-hosted options
⚡ TypeScript support with generated types

Client Initialization

Initialize Supabase client in your application

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🔑 Use environment variables for keys
🎯 TypeScript types can be auto-generated
🔐 Anon key is safe for client-side use
⚡ Different clients for server/client in SSR

Database Operations

CRUD operations and queries with Supabase

Basic CRUD Operations

Create, Read, Update, Delete operations

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📊 Automatic REST APIs from PostgreSQL
🔄 Chainable query methods
✅ Always check for errors
⚡ .select() returns inserted/updated data

Advanced Queries

Complex queries, joins, and filters

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🔗 Automatic joins via foreign keys
🎯 Rich filtering operators
📝 Full-text search support
⚡ Efficient pagination with range

Realtime Subscriptions

Subscribe to database changes in real-time

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📡 Real-time updates via WebSockets
🎯 Row-level filtering support
👥 Presence for online status
📢 Broadcast for client-to-client messaging

Authentication

User authentication and authorization

Auth Operations

Sign up, sign in, and session management

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🔐 Multiple auth methods (email, OAuth, phone)
🎯 JWT-based session management
📧 Magic links for passwordless auth
⚡ Auto token refresh and session persistence

Row Level Security (RLS)

Secure database access with policies

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🔒 Fine-grained access control at database level
🎯 Policies apply automatically to all queries
⚡ Better performance than application-level checks
🔑 Service role key bypasses RLS (use carefully)

Storage

File storage and management

File Operations

Upload, download, and manage files

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📁 S3-compatible object storage
🖼️ Automatic image transformations
🔗 Signed URLs for private files
⚡ CDN distribution included

Edge Functions

Serverless functions at the edge

Edge Functions

Deploy and invoke serverless functions

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⚡ Deno-based serverless functions
🌍 Deploy globally at the edge
🔐 Automatic auth integration
📅 Cron job support for scheduled tasks

Advanced Features

Vectors, full-text search, and database functions

Vector Embeddings & AI

Work with vector embeddings for AI applications

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🤖 Built-in vector database with pgvector
🔍 Semantic search capabilities
🎯 Perfect for RAG and AI applications
⚡ High-performance similarity search

Database Functions & Triggers

Custom functions and automatic triggers

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🔧 Custom business logic in database
⚡ Triggers for automatic actions
🔐 Secure with SECURITY DEFINER
📊 Complex queries and transactions

Migration & Deployment

Database migrations and deployment strategies

Migrations & Deployment

Managing schema changes and deployments

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📝 Version control for database schema
🔄 Safe migration deployment process
🌿 Branch previews for testing
⚡ Automatic TypeScript type generation