Setting Up Supabase for Your AI-Built App
How to configure Supabase properly for production. Database setup, Row-Level Security, authentication, and storage — explained simply.
What Supabase gives you
Supabase provides a PostgreSQL database, user authentication, file storage, real-time subscriptions, and edge functions — all managed for you. It's the most popular backend choice for AI-built apps because Lovable, Bolt, and other tools integrate with it directly.
Row-Level Security (critical)
RLS is the single most important Supabase configuration. Without it, anyone with your Supabase URL (which is public) can read, modify, or delete any data in your database. Enable RLS on EVERY table. Write policies that restrict access based on the authenticated user. Test by trying to access data as a different user. If a policy uses 'true' as the check, it's providing no protection.
Authentication setup
Supabase Auth handles email/password login, magic links, and social login (Google, GitHub, etc.). For production: enable email confirmation, restrict redirect URLs to your domain, configure rate limiting on auth endpoints, and customize the email templates. Test the complete flow including password reset.
Database design tips
Keep user data scoped with a user_id column on tables that store per-user data — this makes RLS policies simple. Add indexes on columns you filter or sort by. Use foreign keys to maintain data integrity. Create a migration file for every schema change so you can reproduce the database from scratch.
Production configuration
Use the anon key (not the service_role key) in client-side code — the anon key is designed to be public and relies on RLS for security. The service_role key bypasses RLS and should only be used in server-side code. Set up database backups. Monitor your database usage to stay within your plan limits.
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