Managing Supabase Databases

Managing Supabase Databases for StickerNest

This skill covers enterprise-grade database design for Supabase/PostgreSQL, optimized for thousands of concurrent users with zero data leakage and cutting-edge performance.

Database Location

• Schema file: supabase/schema.sql
• Migrations: supabase/migrations/###_description.sql
• Services: src/services/ (TypeScript interfaces)

Core Principles

1. Defense in Depth

Every table MUST have:

• Row Level Security (RLS) enabled
• Explicit policies for SELECT, INSERT, UPDATE, DELETE
• Indexes on all foreign keys and RLS filter columns
• Audit timestamps (created_at, updated_at)

2. Performance First

• Wrap RLS functions in (SELECT ...) for caching
• Use composite indexes for multi-column queries
• Partition time-series data (activities, notifications, chat)
• Add CONCURRENTLY to production index creation

3. Zero Trust

• Never rely on client validation alone
• Use CHECK constraints for data integrity
• Implement rate limiting via database functions
• Log sensitive operations for audit trails

Migration File Template

-- Migration: ###_description.sql
-- Author: AI Assistant
-- Date: YYYY-MM-DD
-- Description: Brief description of changes
--
-- ROLLBACK INSTRUCTIONS:
-- To undo this migration, run the commands in the ROLLBACK section at bottom

-- =============================================
-- FORWARD MIGRATION
-- =============================================

BEGIN;

-- 1. Create tables
-- 2. Add indexes
-- 3. Enable RLS
-- 4. Create policies
-- 5. Add triggers
-- 6. Enable realtime

COMMIT;

-- =============================================
-- ROLLBACK (run manually if needed)
-- =============================================
/*
BEGIN;

DROP TABLE IF EXISTS public.new_table CASCADE;
-- Additional rollback commands...

COMMIT;
*/

Table Design Template

CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS public.{table_name} (
    -- Primary key (always UUID for distributed systems)
    id UUID DEFAULT gen_random_uuid() PRIMARY KEY,

    -- Foreign keys with ON DELETE behavior
    user_id UUID NOT NULL REFERENCES public.profiles(id) ON DELETE CASCADE,

    -- Core data columns
    content TEXT NOT NULL,
    status TEXT NOT NULL DEFAULT 'active'
        CHECK (status IN ('active', 'archived', 'deleted')),

    -- JSONB for flexible metadata (indexed with GIN)
    metadata JSONB DEFAULT '{}'::jsonb,

    -- Audit timestamps
    created_at TIMESTAMPTZ DEFAULT now() NOT NULL,
    updated_at TIMESTAMPTZ DEFAULT now() NOT NULL,

    -- Soft delete (optional - for recoverable data)
    deleted_at TIMESTAMPTZ
);

-- CRITICAL: Index all foreign keys and RLS columns
CREATE INDEX idx_{table_name}_user_id ON public.{table_name}(user_id);
CREATE INDEX idx_{table_name}_created_at ON public.{table_name}(created_at DESC);

-- GIN index for JSONB queries (if using metadata filters)
CREATE INDEX idx_{table_name}_metadata ON public.{table_name} USING GIN (metadata);

-- Composite index for common query patterns
CREATE INDEX idx_{table_name}_user_status ON public.{table_name}(user_id, status)
    WHERE deleted_at IS NULL;

RLS Policy Patterns

Pattern 1: Owner-Only Access

-- Enable RLS (REQUIRED)
ALTER TABLE public.{table_name} ENABLE ROW LEVEL SECURITY;

-- CRITICAL: Wrap auth.uid() in SELECT for 100x performance boost
CREATE POLICY "{table_name}_select_own"
ON public.{table_name} FOR SELECT
TO authenticated  -- Restrict to authenticated users FIRST
USING (user_id = (SELECT auth.uid()));

CREATE POLICY "{table_name}_insert_own"
ON public.{table_name} FOR INSERT
TO authenticated
WITH CHECK (user_id = (SELECT auth.uid()));

CREATE POLICY "{table_name}_update_own"
ON public.{table_name} FOR UPDATE
TO authenticated
USING (user_id = (SELECT auth.uid()));

CREATE POLICY "{table_name}_delete_own"
ON public.{table_name} FOR DELETE
TO authenticated
USING (user_id = (SELECT auth.uid()));

Pattern 2: Public Read, Private Write

CREATE POLICY "{table_name}_select_public"
ON public.{table_name} FOR SELECT
USING (true);  -- Anyone can read

CREATE POLICY "{table_name}_insert_authenticated"
ON public.{table_name} FOR INSERT
TO authenticated
WITH CHECK (user_id = (SELECT auth.uid()));

Pattern 3: Team/Canvas Based Access

-- Optimized: Pre-filter by user's accessible resources
CREATE POLICY "{table_name}_select_canvas"
ON public.{table_name} FOR SELECT
TO authenticated
USING (
    canvas_id IN (
        SELECT c.id FROM canvases c
        WHERE c.user_id = (SELECT auth.uid())
           OR c.visibility = 'public'
    )
);

Pattern 4: Friend/Follow Based Access

-- For content visible to friends only
CREATE POLICY "{table_name}_select_friends"
ON public.{table_name} FOR SELECT
TO authenticated
USING (
    user_id = (SELECT auth.uid())
    OR user_id IN (
        SELECT following_id FROM follows
        WHERE follower_id = (SELECT auth.uid())
    )
);

High-Scale Patterns

Time-Series Partitioning (for activities, notifications, chat)

-- Create partitioned table for activities (10M+ rows)
CREATE TABLE public.activities (
    id UUID DEFAULT gen_random_uuid(),
    actor_id UUID NOT NULL REFERENCES public.profiles(id) ON DELETE CASCADE,
    verb TEXT NOT NULL,
    object_type TEXT NOT NULL,
    object_id TEXT NOT NULL,
    metadata JSONB DEFAULT '{}'::jsonb,
    created_at TIMESTAMPTZ DEFAULT now() NOT NULL,
    PRIMARY KEY (id, created_at)  -- Include partition key in PK
) PARTITION BY RANGE (created_at);

-- Create monthly partitions (auto-create via cron or edge function)
CREATE TABLE activities_2025_01 PARTITION OF public.activities
    FOR VALUES FROM ('2025-01-01') TO ('2025-02-01');

CREATE TABLE activities_2025_02 PARTITION OF public.activities
    FOR VALUES FROM ('2025-02-01') TO ('2025-03-01');

-- Index on each partition (faster than global index)
CREATE INDEX idx_activities_2025_01_actor
ON activities_2025_01(actor_id, created_at DESC);

Materialized Views for Analytics

-- Pre-compute expensive aggregations
CREATE MATERIALIZED VIEW public.user_stats AS
SELECT
    p.id AS user_id,
    COUNT(DISTINCT f1.follower_id) AS follower_count,
    COUNT(DISTINCT f2.following_id) AS following_count,
    COUNT(DISTINCT a.id) AS activity_count
FROM profiles p
LEFT JOIN follows f1 ON f1.following_id = p.id
LEFT JOIN follows f2 ON f2.follower_id = p.id
LEFT JOIN activities a ON a.actor_id = p.id
GROUP BY p.id;

-- Refresh via cron (not realtime)
CREATE UNIQUE INDEX idx_user_stats_user_id ON public.user_stats(user_id);

Security Definer Functions (for complex RLS)

-- Create a function that bypasses RLS for efficiency
CREATE OR REPLACE FUNCTION public.get_user_accessible_canvases(user_uuid UUID)
RETURNS SETOF UUID
LANGUAGE sql
SECURITY DEFINER  -- Runs with creator's permissions
STABLE           -- Can be cached within transaction
AS $$
    SELECT id FROM canvases
    WHERE user_id = user_uuid
       OR visibility = 'public'
$$;

-- Use in RLS policy
CREATE POLICY "canvas_access"
ON public.widgets FOR SELECT
USING (
    canvas_id IN (SELECT * FROM public.get_user_accessible_canvases((SELECT auth.uid())))
);

Social Features Schema

Chat Messages (with threading)

CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS public.chat_messages (
    id UUID DEFAULT gen_random_uuid() PRIMARY KEY,
    canvas_id TEXT NOT NULL REFERENCES public.canvases(id) ON DELETE CASCADE,
    user_id UUID NOT NULL REFERENCES public.profiles(id) ON DELETE CASCADE,
    content TEXT NOT NULL CHECK (char_length(content) <= 10000),
    reply_to UUID REFERENCES public.chat_messages(id) ON DELETE SET NULL,
    metadata JSONB DEFAULT '{}'::jsonb,  -- For reactions, attachments
    created_at TIMESTAMPTZ DEFAULT now() NOT NULL,
    updated_at TIMESTAMPTZ DEFAULT now() NOT NULL,
    deleted_at TIMESTAMPTZ  -- Soft delete for moderation
);

-- Performance indexes
CREATE INDEX idx_chat_messages_canvas_id
ON public.chat_messages(canvas_id, created_at DESC);
CREATE INDEX idx_chat_messages_user_id ON public.chat_messages(user_id);
CREATE INDEX idx_chat_messages_reply_to ON public.chat_messages(reply_to)
    WHERE reply_to IS NOT NULL;

-- RLS
ALTER TABLE public.chat_messages ENABLE ROW LEVEL SECURITY;

CREATE POLICY "chat_select_canvas_access"
ON public.chat_messages FOR SELECT
TO authenticated
USING (
    canvas_id IN (
        SELECT id FROM canvases
        WHERE user_id = (SELECT auth.uid())
           OR visibility IN ('public', 'unlisted')
    )
    AND deleted_at IS NULL
);

CREATE POLICY "chat_insert_authenticated"
ON public.chat_messages FOR INSERT
TO authenticated
WITH CHECK (user_id = (SELECT auth.uid()));

CREATE POLICY "chat_update_own"
ON public.chat_messages FOR UPDATE
TO authenticated
USING (user_id = (SELECT auth.uid()));

CREATE POLICY "chat_delete_own"
ON public.chat_messages FOR DELETE
TO authenticated
USING (user_id = (SELECT auth.uid()));

User Blocks (bidirectional blocking)

CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS public.blocks (
    blocker_id UUID NOT NULL REFERENCES public.profiles(id) ON DELETE CASCADE,
    blocked_id UUID NOT NULL REFERENCES public.profiles(id) ON DELETE CASCADE,
    reason TEXT,  -- Optional: 'spam', 'harassment', etc.
    created_at TIMESTAMPTZ DEFAULT now() NOT NULL,
    PRIMARY KEY (blocker_id, blocked_id),
    CHECK (blocker_id != blocked_id)  -- Can't block yourself
);

CREATE INDEX idx_blocks_blocked_id ON public.blocks(blocked_id);

ALTER TABLE public.blocks ENABLE ROW LEVEL SECURITY;

-- Only blocker can see their blocks
CREATE POLICY "blocks_select_own"
ON public.blocks FOR SELECT
TO authenticated
USING (blocker_id = (SELECT auth.uid()));

CREATE POLICY "blocks_insert_own"
ON public.blocks FOR INSERT
TO authenticated
WITH CHECK (blocker_id = (SELECT auth.uid()));

CREATE POLICY "blocks_delete_own"
ON public.blocks FOR DELETE
TO authenticated
USING (blocker_id = (SELECT auth.uid()));

-- Helper function to check if blocked
CREATE OR REPLACE FUNCTION public.is_blocked(user1 UUID, user2 UUID)
RETURNS BOOLEAN
LANGUAGE sql
STABLE
SECURITY DEFINER
AS $$
    SELECT EXISTS (
        SELECT 1 FROM blocks
        WHERE (blocker_id = user1 AND blocked_id = user2)
           OR (blocker_id = user2 AND blocked_id = user1)
    )
$$;

Comments (polymorphic - works on any object)

CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS public.comments (
    id UUID DEFAULT gen_random_uuid() PRIMARY KEY,
    user_id UUID NOT NULL REFERENCES public.profiles(id) ON DELETE CASCADE,
    -- Polymorphic reference: 'canvas', 'widget', 'activity'
    target_type TEXT NOT NULL CHECK (target_type IN ('canvas', 'widget', 'activity')),
    target_id TEXT NOT NULL,
    parent_id UUID REFERENCES public.comments(id) ON DELETE CASCADE,  -- Threading
    content TEXT NOT NULL CHECK (char_length(content) BETWEEN 1 AND 5000),
    upvotes INTEGER DEFAULT 0,
    metadata JSONB DEFAULT '{}'::jsonb,
    created_at TIMESTAMPTZ DEFAULT now() NOT NULL,
    updated_at TIMESTAMPTZ DEFAULT now() NOT NULL,
    deleted_at TIMESTAMPTZ
);

-- Indexes for efficient querying
CREATE INDEX idx_comments_target
ON public.comments(target_type, target_id, created_at DESC);
CREATE INDEX idx_comments_user_id ON public.comments(user_id);
CREATE INDEX idx_comments_parent_id ON public.comments(parent_id)
    WHERE parent_id IS NOT NULL;

ALTER TABLE public.comments ENABLE ROW LEVEL SECURITY;

-- Public read (respecting blocks)
CREATE POLICY "comments_select_public"
ON public.comments FOR SELECT
USING (
    deleted_at IS NULL
    AND NOT public.is_blocked((SELECT auth.uid()), user_id)
);

CREATE POLICY "comments_insert_authenticated"
ON public.comments FOR INSERT
TO authenticated
WITH CHECK (user_id = (SELECT auth.uid()));

CREATE POLICY "comments_update_own"
ON public.comments FOR UPDATE
TO authenticated
USING (user_id = (SELECT auth.uid()));

CREATE POLICY "comments_delete_own"
ON public.comments FOR DELETE
TO authenticated
USING (user_id = (SELECT auth.uid()));

Direct Messages (DMs)

-- DM conversations between two users
CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS public.dm_conversations (
    id UUID DEFAULT gen_random_uuid() PRIMARY KEY,
    user1_id UUID NOT NULL REFERENCES public.profiles(id) ON DELETE CASCADE,
    user2_id UUID NOT NULL REFERENCES public.profiles(id) ON DELETE CASCADE,
    last_message_at TIMESTAMPTZ DEFAULT now(),
    created_at TIMESTAMPTZ DEFAULT now() NOT NULL,
    UNIQUE (user1_id, user2_id),
    CHECK (user1_id < user2_id)  -- Canonical ordering
);

CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS public.dm_messages (
    id UUID DEFAULT gen_random_uuid() PRIMARY KEY,
    conversation_id UUID NOT NULL REFERENCES public.dm_conversations(id) ON DELETE CASCADE,
    sender_id UUID NOT NULL REFERENCES public.profiles(id) ON DELETE CASCADE,
    content TEXT NOT NULL CHECK (char_length(content) <= 10000),
    read_at TIMESTAMPTZ,
    metadata JSONB DEFAULT '{}'::jsonb,
    created_at TIMESTAMPTZ DEFAULT now() NOT NULL,
    deleted_at TIMESTAMPTZ
);

CREATE INDEX idx_dm_messages_conversation
ON public.dm_messages(conversation_id, created_at DESC);
CREATE INDEX idx_dm_conversations_users
ON public.dm_conversations(user1_id, user2_id);

-- Helper to get or create conversation
CREATE OR REPLACE FUNCTION public.get_or_create_dm_conversation(other_user UUID)
RETURNS UUID
LANGUAGE plpgsql
SECURITY DEFINER
AS $$
DECLARE
    my_id UUID := auth.uid();
    conv_id UUID;
    u1 UUID;
    u2 UUID;
BEGIN
    -- Canonical ordering
    IF my_id < other_user THEN
        u1 := my_id; u2 := other_user;
    ELSE
        u1 := other_user; u2 := my_id;
    END IF;

    -- Check if blocked
    IF public.is_blocked(my_id, other_user) THEN
        RAISE EXCEPTION 'Cannot message blocked user';
    END IF;

    -- Get or create
    SELECT id INTO conv_id
    FROM dm_conversations
    WHERE user1_id = u1 AND user2_id = u2;

    IF conv_id IS NULL THEN
        INSERT INTO dm_conversations (user1_id, user2_id)
        VALUES (u1, u2)
        RETURNING id INTO conv_id;
    END IF;

    RETURN conv_id;
END;
$$;

Triggers

Auto-Update Timestamps

CREATE OR REPLACE FUNCTION public.update_updated_at_column()
RETURNS TRIGGER AS $$
BEGIN
    NEW.updated_at = now();
    RETURN NEW;
END;
$$ LANGUAGE plpgsql;

-- Apply to all tables with updated_at
CREATE TRIGGER update_{table_name}_updated_at
    BEFORE UPDATE ON public.{table_name}
    FOR EACH ROW
    EXECUTE FUNCTION public.update_updated_at_column();

Create Notification on Follow

CREATE OR REPLACE FUNCTION public.create_follow_notification()
RETURNS TRIGGER AS $$
BEGIN
    INSERT INTO notifications (recipient_id, actor_id, type, metadata)
    VALUES (
        NEW.following_id,
        NEW.follower_id,
        'follow',
        jsonb_build_object('follower_id', NEW.follower_id)
    );
    RETURN NEW;
END;
$$ LANGUAGE plpgsql;

CREATE TRIGGER on_follow_create_notification
    AFTER INSERT ON public.follows
    FOR EACH ROW
    EXECUTE FUNCTION public.create_follow_notification();

Realtime Configuration

-- Enable realtime for tables that need live updates
ALTER PUBLICATION supabase_realtime ADD TABLE public.chat_messages;
ALTER PUBLICATION supabase_realtime ADD TABLE public.notifications;
ALTER PUBLICATION supabase_realtime ADD TABLE public.dm_messages;
ALTER PUBLICATION supabase_realtime ADD TABLE public.activities;

-- Note: profiles, follows, blocks should NOT be realtime
-- (too many updates, use polling or explicit refresh)

Performance Checklist

Before deploying any migration:

• All foreign keys have indexes
• RLS filter columns have indexes
• auth.uid() wrapped in (SELECT ...)
• Role restrictions (TO authenticated) on policies
• Composite indexes for common query patterns
• GIN indexes on JSONB columns used in queries
• Soft delete for recoverable data
• CHECK constraints for data validation
• Triggers for auto-computed fields
• Realtime enabled only where needed
• Rollback instructions documented

Existing Schema Reference

Sources & Best Practices

• Supabase RLS Performance Guide
• Managing PostgreSQL Indexes
• Row Level Security Docs