Supabase for Next.js SaaS
Core Insight: Two lanes: user-scoped data via Supabase client (RLS-enforced), server-scoped via Drizzle (privileged). Use
getClaims()notgetSession(). Transaction pooler requiresprepare: false.
Table of Contents
- THE EXACT PROMPT
- Architecture
- Quick Start
- Environment Variables
- Workflow Checklist
- Critical Gotchas
- Quick Commands
- AGENTS.md Blurb
- References
THE EXACT PROMPT
Set up Supabase for a Next.js SaaS with:
1. Auth: Google OAuth only
2. ORM: Drizzle with Supabase pooler (IPv4)
3. Environment: [Vercel / Cloudflare / local dev]
4. Cost tier: [Free / Pro with Spend Cap / Team]
Follow supabase-guide skill patterns.
Architecture
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ TWO-LANE DATA ACCESS MODEL │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ │
│ LANE A: User-scoped (RLS-enforced) │
│ ══════════════════════════════════ │
│ @supabase/ssr → PostgREST Data API │
│ • Browser + Server Components │
│ • JWT validated via getClaims() │
│ • Multi-tenant reads/writes obey RLS "naturally" │
│ │
│ LANE B: Server-scoped (privileged) │
│ ══════════════════════════════════ │
│ Drizzle → postgres.js → Supavisor pooler │
│ • Migrations, admin tasks, billing webhooks │
│ • Transaction mode (port 6543): prepare: false │
│ • Session mode (port 5432): migrations only │
│ │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
Why this split: Browser access uses Data API with RLS. Server/serverless uses pooler. IPv4-only environments (Vercel/GH Actions) cannot use direct connections (IPv6).
Quick Start
1. Drizzle + Pooler (Transaction Mode)
// src/db/index.ts
import postgres from "postgres"
import { drizzle } from "drizzle-orm/postgres-js"
import * as schema from "./schema"
const g = globalThis as unknown as { __sql?: ReturnType<typeof postgres> }
export const sql = g.__sql ?? postgres(process.env.DATABASE_URL!, {
prepare: false, // REQUIRED for transaction pooler
max: process.env.NODE_ENV === "production" ? 5 : 1,
})
if (process.env.NODE_ENV !== "production") g.__sql = sql
export const db = drizzle(sql, { schema })
2. Supabase SSR Clients
// src/lib/supabase/client.ts
import { createBrowserClient } from "@supabase/ssr"
export function supabaseBrowser() {
return createBrowserClient(
process.env.NEXT_PUBLIC_SUPABASE_URL!,
process.env.NEXT_PUBLIC_SUPABASE_PUBLISHABLE_KEY!
)
}
// src/lib/supabase/server.ts
import { createServerClient } from "@supabase/ssr"
import { cookies } from "next/headers"
export function supabaseServer() {
const store = cookies()
return createServerClient(
process.env.NEXT_PUBLIC_SUPABASE_URL!,
process.env.NEXT_PUBLIC_SUPABASE_PUBLISHABLE_KEY!,
{
cookies: {
getAll: () => store.getAll(),
setAll: (toSet) => {
try { toSet.forEach(({ name, value, options }) => store.set(name, value, options)) }
catch {}
},
},
}
)
}
3. Middleware (Token Refresh)
// middleware.ts
import { createServerClient } from "@supabase/ssr"
import { NextResponse, type NextRequest } from "next/server"
export async function middleware(request: NextRequest) {
let response = NextResponse.next({ request: { headers: request.headers } })
const supabase = createServerClient(
process.env.NEXT_PUBLIC_SUPABASE_URL!,
process.env.NEXT_PUBLIC_SUPABASE_PUBLISHABLE_KEY!,
{
cookies: {
getAll: () => request.cookies.getAll(),
setAll: (toSet) => {
toSet.forEach(({ name, value }) => request.cookies.set(name, value))
response = NextResponse.next({ request: { headers: request.headers } })
toSet.forEach(({ name, value, options }) => response.cookies.set(name, value, options))
},
},
}
)
await supabase.auth.getClaims() // NOT getSession()
return response
}
export const config = {
matcher: ["/((?!_next/static|_next/image|favicon.ico|.*\\.(?:svg|png|jpg|jpeg|gif|webp)$).*)"],
}
Environment Variables
# Supabase Auth / API
NEXT_PUBLIC_SUPABASE_URL="https://<project_ref>.supabase.co"
NEXT_PUBLIC_SUPABASE_PUBLISHABLE_KEY="sb_publishable_..." # or anon key during transition
SUPABASE_SERVICE_ROLE_KEY="..." # server-only, NEVER ship to client
# Postgres: app runtime (transaction pooler, port 6543)
DATABASE_URL="postgresql://postgres.<project_ref>:<PASSWORD>@aws-0-<region>.pooler.supabase.com:6543/postgres?sslmode=require"
# Postgres: migrations (session pooler, port 5432)
DATABASE_URL_MIGRATIONS="postgresql://postgres.<project_ref>:<PASSWORD>@aws-0-<region>.pooler.supabase.com:5432/postgres?sslmode=require"
Username format: postgres.<project_ref> — the dot is real, copy from Dashboard → Connect button.
Workflow Checklist
Phase 1: Project Setup
- Create prod + staging Supabase projects (blast-radius isolation)
- Copy connection strings from Connect button (not guessed)
- Set env vars:
NEXT_PUBLIC_SUPABASE_URL,NEXT_PUBLIC_SUPABASE_PUBLISHABLE_KEY,DATABASE_URL,DATABASE_URL_MIGRATIONS - Enable Spend Cap (Pro plan) — COST-OPTIMIZATION.md
Phase 2: Auth (Google-only)
- Enable Google provider in Dashboard → Auth → Providers
- Disable email/password, magic links, phone
- Add redirect URI in Google Cloud Console:
https://<project_ref>.supabase.co/auth/v1/callback - Set up SSR clients + middleware — AUTH-SSR.md
- Create OAuth callback route — GOOGLE-OAUTH.md
Phase 3: Database + Drizzle
- Install:
bun add drizzle-orm postgres && bun add -d drizzle-kit - Create
src/db/index.tswithprepare: false— DRIZZLE-SETUP.md - Create
drizzle.config.tspointing to session pooler for migrations - Run
drizzle-kit generateanddrizzle-kit migrate
Phase 4: RLS + Data Model
- Create
user_profilestable keyed byauth.users.id - Enable RLS on ALL tables in
publicschema - Create trigger to auto-create profile on signup
- Index columns used in RLS policies — RLS-PATTERNS.md
Phase 5: Cost Optimization
- Use transaction pooler for runtime, session for migrations
- Harden Data API: move sensitive tables to
privateschema - Set up cron rollups for event-heavy tables
- Configure Smart CDN + cache-control for Storage — COST-OPTIMIZATION.md
Critical Gotchas
| Symptom | Cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
ENETUNREACH / network unreachable |
Direct connection is IPv6 | Use pooler connection string |
prepared statement does not exist |
Transaction pooler + prepared statements | Set prepare: false in postgres.js |
Tenant or user not found |
Wrong pooler host or username format | Copy exact string from Connect dialog; include .project_ref in username |
| Users randomly logged out | Token not refreshing in middleware | Use getClaims() in middleware, not getSession() |
| RLS policy not blocking | Table missing enable row level security |
Run ALTER TABLE x ENABLE ROW LEVEL SECURITY |
| Slow queries with RLS | No index on RLS filter columns | Add index on user_id, tenant_id columns |
| Surprise bills | No Spend Cap, uncached egress | Enable Spend Cap; use Smart CDN + high cache-control |
Full troubleshooting: TROUBLESHOOTING.md
Security Rules
- Use
getClaims(), notgetSession()— cookies can be spoofed;getClaims()validates JWT signature every time - Never expose
service_rolekey — bypasses RLS, backend-only - Enable RLS on every table in
public— tables without RLS are accessible via anon role - Use
app_metadatanotuser_metadatafor tenant_id — user_metadata is user-modifiable
Quick Commands
# Supabase CLI
supabase login
supabase link --project-ref $PROJECT_REF
supabase db pull # Pull remote schema
supabase migration new <name> # Create migration
supabase db push # Apply migrations
# Drizzle
drizzle-kit generate # Generate migrations
drizzle-kit migrate # Apply migrations
drizzle-kit studio # Visual browser
# Secrets (Edge Functions)
supabase secrets set --env-file .env # Push secrets
supabase secrets list # Verify
AGENTS.md Blurb
Copy this to your project's AGENTS.md:
### Supabase
Supabase CLI is installed. Project: `<PROJECT_REF>`.
Auth:
\`\`\`bash
supabase login
supabase link --project-ref $PROJECT_REF
\`\`\`
Database:
\`\`\`bash
supabase db pull # Pull schema to migrations
supabase migration new <name>
supabase db push # Apply migrations
\`\`\`
Connection strings:
- **Runtime (Drizzle):** Transaction pooler (port 6543), `prepare: false`
- **Migrations:** Session pooler (port 5432)
Copy exact connection string from Dashboard → Connect button.
References
| Topic | Reference |
|---|---|
| Copy-paste patterns | QUICK-REFERENCE.md |
| Two-lane architecture + cost model | ARCHITECTURE.md |
| Drizzle + pooler setup | DRIZZLE-SETUP.md |
| Next.js SSR auth with getClaims() | AUTH-SSR.md |
| Google OAuth setup | GOOGLE-OAUTH.md |
| RLS patterns for SaaS | RLS-PATTERNS.md |
| Pooler gotchas (IPv4/IPv6, modes) | POOLER-GOTCHAS.md |
| Cost optimization (Spend Cap, cron) | COST-OPTIMIZATION.md |
| Troubleshooting guide | TROUBLESHOOTING.md |
Validation
# After setup, verify:
# 1. Google OAuth flow works (login → callback → dashboard)
# 2. Drizzle can connect: bun run -e "import { db } from './src/db'; console.log('OK')"
# 3. RLS blocks unauthorized access via Data API
# 4. Middleware refreshes tokens (check cookies in DevTools)