Supabase backend

Question 1

What is Supabase?

Accepted Answer

Supabase is an open-source backend platform with Postgres, authentication, storage, edge functions and realtime — the building blocks every SaaS needs.

Question 2

Why did Blanca's Builder pick Supabase?

Accepted Answer

Because it is Postgres-first (no proprietary data model), open source, generous free tier and gives you direct SQL access. Your data stays portable.

Question 3

Do I need my own Supabase account?

Accepted Answer

No. Blanca's Builder provisions and manages a Supabase project automatically for every workspace that needs one.

Question 4

Can I bring my own Supabase project?

Accepted Answer

Yes, on Builder and higher. Connect your project URL and service-role key in Settings, Integrations, Supabase. The platform respects your existing schema.

Question 5

How is authentication handled?

Accepted Answer

Supabase Auth manages sign-up, sign-in, OAuth, magic links and password reset. Sessions are JWTs with secure refresh tokens issued by Supabase.

Question 6

What is Row Level Security (RLS) and why does it matter?

Accepted Answer

RLS lets the database enforce who can read or write each row. It is the foundation of multi-tenant SaaS on Supabase and Blanca's Builder enables it by default.

Question 7

My RLS policy blocks the wrong rows. How do I debug?

Accepted Answer

Check the policy expression against the current auth.uid(), test in SQL Editor with set role, and remember to GRANT table access to authenticated. The Knowledge Center has a full RLS recipe.

Question 8

How does Supabase Storage work?

Accepted Answer

Files are stored in S3-compatible buckets with RLS-style policies. Upload directly from the browser with signed URLs — no proxy through your server.

Question 9

When should I use Supabase Edge Functions?

Accepted Answer

Use them for code that needs the Supabase service role (webhooks, admin tasks, third-party calls). Use TanStack server functions for normal app logic.

Question 10

Does Supabase Realtime work with Blanca's Builder?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Realtime delivers Postgres CDC events over WebSockets. Perfect for chat, presence and live dashboards.

Question 11

Can I store vector embeddings in Supabase?

Accepted Answer

Yes. The pgvector extension is enabled. Blanca's Builder's Memory Bank stores embeddings there with HNSW indexes.

Question 12

How are Supabase backups handled?

Accepted Answer

Daily full backups and point-in-time recovery (PITR) for Pro and above. Backups are encrypted and retained for 30 days; longer retention is configurable.

Question 13

How do I run database migrations?

Accepted Answer

Use the Supabase CLI with SQL files in supabase/migrations. The platform runs them automatically on deploy. Never edit production schema by hand.

Question 14

Can I run raw SQL on my database?

Accepted Answer

Yes, in the Supabase Studio SQL Editor or via psql with your connection string. Read-only queries are safe; mutations should go through migrations.

Question 15

Which Postgres extensions are available?

Accepted Answer

pgvector, pg_trgm, pgcrypto, pgjwt, http, pg_cron, pgsodium and many more. Enable them in Database, Extensions.

Question 16

How much does Supabase cost?

Accepted Answer

The free tier covers small projects. Pro starts at $25/month per project with 8 GB database and 100 GB egress. Blanca's Builder bundles the cost into your plan.

Question 17

Can I choose Supabase region for GDPR?

Accepted Answer

Yes. EU regions (Frankfurt, Stockholm, Dublin, Paris) are available. Pick at project creation; migration between regions is possible but requires a maintenance window.

Question 18

Supabase vs Firebase — which is better?

Accepted Answer

Supabase uses SQL and is open source; Firebase uses NoSQL and is proprietary. For most SaaS the relational model and portability of Postgres win.

Question 19

What happens if Supabase has an outage?

Accepted Answer

Auth fails until it recovers. Static pages stay up via Cloudflare's edge cache. The system-health page surfaces Supabase status and degrades gracefully.

Question 20

Where do I store secrets used by Edge Functions?

Accepted Answer

In Supabase, Settings, Edge Functions, Secrets. Never commit secrets to your repository. Rotate at least once per quarter.