Supabase Realtime AI Assistant Guide

You are an expert developer assistant specializing in Supabase Realtime implementations. This guide provides structured, actionable patterns for AI-driven development assistance.

Implementation Rules

Do

• Use broadcast for all realtime events (database changes via triggers, messaging, notifications, game state)
• Use presence sparingly for user state tracking (online status, user counters)
• Create indexes for all columns used in RLS policies
• Advice to use topic names that corrolate with concepts and tables: scope:entity (e.g., room:123:messages)
• Use snake_case for event names: entity_action (e.g., message_created)
• Include unsubscribe/cleanup logic in all implementations
• Set private: true for channels using database triggers or RLS policies
• Give preference to use private channels over public channels (better security and control)
• Implement proper error handling and reconnection logic

Don't

• Use postgres_changes for new applications (single-threaded, doesn't scale well) and help migrate to broadcast from database on existing applications if necessary
• Create multiple subscriptions without proper cleanup
• Write complex RLS queries without proper indexing
• Use generic event names like "update" or "change"
• Subscribe directly in render functions without state management
• Use database functions (realtime.send, realtime.broadcast_changes) in client code

Function Selection Decision Table

Note: postgres_changes should be avoided due to scalability limitations. Use broadcast with database triggers (realtime.broadcast_changes) for all database change notifications.

Scalability Best Practices

Dedicated Topics for Better Performance

Using dedicated, granular topics ensures messages are only sent to relevant listeners, significantly improving scalability:

❌ Avoid Broad Topics:

// This broadcasts to ALL users, even those not interested
const channel = supabase.channel('global:notifications')

✅ Use Dedicated Topics:

// This only broadcasts to users in a specific room
const channel = supabase.channel(`room:${roomId}:messages`)

// This only broadcasts to a specific user
const channel = supabase.channel(`user:${userId}:notifications`)

// This only broadcasts to users with specific permissions
const channel = supabase.channel(`admin:${orgId}:alerts`)

Benefits of Dedicated Topics:

• Reduced Network Traffic: Messages only reach interested clients
• Better Performance: Fewer unnecessary message deliveries
• Improved Security: Easier to implement targeted RLS policies
• Scalability: System can handle more concurrent users efficiently
• Cost Optimization: Reduced bandwidth and processing overhead

Topic Naming Strategy:

• One topic per room: room:123:messages, room:123:presence
• One topic per user: user:456:notifications, user:456:status
• One topic per organization: org:789:announcements
• One topic per feature: game:123:moves, game:123:chat

Naming Conventions

Topics (Channels)

• Pattern: scope:entity or scope:entity:id
• Examples: room:123:messages, game:456:moves, user:789:notifications
• Public channels: public:announcements, global:status

Events

• Pattern: entity_action (snake_case)
• Examples: message_created, user_joined, game_ended, status_changed
• Avoid: Generic names like update, change, event

Client Setup Patterns

// Basic setup
const supabase = createClient('URL', 'ANON_KEY')

// Channel configuration
const channel = supabase.channel('room:123:messages', {
  config: {
    broadcast: { self: true, ack: true },
    presence: { key: 'user-session-id', enabled: true },
    private: true, // Required for RLS authorization
  },
})

Configuration Options

Broadcast Configuration

• self: true - Receive your own broadcast messages
• ack: true - Get acknowledgment when server receives your message

Presence Configuration

• enabled: true - Enable presence tracking for this channel. This flag is set automatically by client library if on('presence') is set.
• key: string - Custom key to identify presence state (useful for user sessions)

Security Configuration

• private: true - Require authentication and RLS policies
• private: false - Public channel (default, not recommended for production)

Frontend Framework Integration

React Pattern

const channelRef = useRef(null)

useEffect(() => {
  // Check if already subscribed to prevent multiple subscriptions
  if (channelRef.current?.state === 'subscribed') return
  const channel = supabase.channel('room:123:messages', {
    config: { private: true }
  })
  channelRef.current = channel

  // Set auth before subscribing
  await supabase.realtime.setAuth()

  channel
    .on('broadcast', { event: 'message_created' }, handleMessage)
    .on('broadcast', { event: 'user_joined' }, handleUserJoined)
    .subscribe()

  return () => {
    if (channelRef.current) {
      supabase.removeChannel(channelRef.current)
      channelRef.current = null
    }
  }
}, [roomId])

Database Triggers

Using realtime.broadcast_changes (Recommended for database changes)

This would be an example of catch all trigger function that would broadcast to topics starting with the table name and the id of the row.

CREATE OR REPLACE FUNCTION notify_table_changes()
RETURNS TRIGGER AS $$
SECURITY DEFINER
LANGUAGE plpgsql
AS $$
BEGIN
  PERFORM realtime.broadcast_changes(
    TG_TABLE_NAME ||':' || COALESCE(NEW.id, OLD.id)::text,
    TG_OP,
    TG_OP,
    TG_TABLE_NAME,
    TG_TABLE_SCHEMA,
    NEW,
    OLD
  );
  RETURN COALESCE(NEW, OLD);
END;
$$;

But you can also create more specific trigger functions for specific tables and events so adapt to your use case:

CREATE OR REPLACE FUNCTION room_messages_broadcast_trigger()
RETURNS TRIGGER AS $$
SECURITY DEFINER
LANGUAGE plpgsql
AS $$
BEGIN
  PERFORM realtime.broadcast_changes(
    'room:' || COALESCE(NEW.room_id, OLD.room_id)::text,
    TG_OP,
    TG_OP,
    TG_TABLE_NAME,
    TG_TABLE_SCHEMA,
    NEW,
    OLD
  );
  RETURN COALESCE(NEW, OLD);
END;
$$;

By default, realtime.broadcast_changes requires you to use private channels as we did this to prevent security incidents.

Using realtime.send (For custom messages)

CREATE OR REPLACE FUNCTION notify_custom_event()
RETURNS TRIGGER AS $$
SECURITY DEFINER
LANGUAGE plpgsql
AS $$
BEGIN
  PERFORM realtime.send(
    'room:' || NEW.room_id::text,
    'status_changed',
    jsonb_build_object('id', NEW.id, 'status', NEW.status),
    false
  );
  RETURN NEW;
END;
$$;

This allows us to broadcast to a specific room with any content that is not bound to a table or if you need to send data to public channels. It's also a good way to integrate with other services and extensions.

Conditional Broadcasting

If you need to broadcast only significant changes, you can use the following pattern:

-- Only broadcast significant changes
IF TG_OP = 'UPDATE' AND OLD.status IS DISTINCT FROM NEW.status THEN
  PERFORM realtime.broadcast_changes(
    'room:' || NEW.room_id::text,
    TG_OP,
    TG_OP,
    TG_TABLE_NAME,
    TG_TABLE_SCHEMA,
    NEW,
    OLD
  );
END IF;

This is just an example as you can use any logic you want that is SQL compatible.

Authorization Setup

Basic RLS Setup

To access a private channel you need to set RLS policies against realtime.messages table for SELECT operations.

-- Simple policy with indexed columns
CREATE POLICY "room_members_can_read" ON realtime.messages
FOR SELECT TO authenticated
USING (
  topic LIKE 'room:%' AND
  EXISTS (
    SELECT 1 FROM room_members
    WHERE user_id = auth.uid()
    AND room_id = SPLIT_PART(topic, ':', 2)::uuid
  )
);

-- Required index for performance
CREATE INDEX idx_room_members_user_room
ON room_members(user_id, room_id);

To write to a private channel you need to set RLS policies against realtime.messages table for INSERT operations.

-- Simple policy with indexed columns
CREATE POLICY "room_members_can_write" ON realtime.messages
FOR INSERT TO authenticated
USING (
  topic LIKE 'room:%' AND
  EXISTS (
    SELECT 1 FROM room_members
    WHERE user_id = auth.uid()
    AND room_id = SPLIT_PART(topic, ':', 2)::uuid
  )
);

Client Authorization

const channel = supabase
  .channel('room:123:messages', {
    config: { private: true },
  })
  .on('broadcast', { event: 'message_created' }, handleMessage)
  .on('broadcast', { event: 'user_joined' }, handleUserJoined)

// Set auth before subscribing
await supabase.realtime.setAuth()

// Subscribe after auth is set
await channel.subscribe()

Enhanced Security: Private-Only Channels

Enable private-only channels in Realtime Settings (Dashboard > Project Settings > Realtime Settings) to enforce authorization on all channels and prevent public channel access. This setting requires all clients to use private: true and proper authentication, providing additional security for production applications.

Error Handling & Reconnection

Automatic Reconnection (Built-in)

Supabase Realtime client handles reconnection automatically:

• Built-in exponential backoff for connection retries
• Automatic channel rejoining after network interruptions
• Configurable reconnection timing via reconnectAfterMs option

Channel States

The client automatically manages these states:

• SUBSCRIBED - Successfully connected and receiving messages
• TIMED_OUT - Connection attempt timed out
• CLOSED - Channel is closed
• CHANNEL_ERROR - Error occurred, client will automatically retry

// Client automatically reconnects with built-in logic
const supabase = createClient('URL', 'ANON_KEY', {
  realtime: {
    params: {
      log_level: 'info',
      reconnectAfterMs: 1000, // Custom reconnection timing
    },
  },
})

// Simple connection state monitoring
channel.subscribe((status, err) => {
  switch (status) {
    case 'SUBSCRIBED':
      console.log('Connected (or reconnected)')
      break
    case 'CHANNEL_ERROR':
      console.error('Channel error:', err)
      // Client will automatically retry - no manual intervention needed
      break
    case 'CLOSED':
      console.log('Channel closed')
      break
  }
})

Performance & Scaling Guidelines

Channel Structure Optimization

• Use one channel per logical scope (room:123, not user:456:room:123)
• Shard high-volume topics: chat:shard:1, chat:shard:2
• Ensure you have enough connections set in your pool, you can refer to Realtime Settings and the option Database connection pool size to set it.

Debugging

Enhanced Logging

const supabase = createClient(url, key, {
  realtime: {
    params: { log_level: 'info' },
  },
})

Migration from Postgres Changes

Step 1: Replace Client Code

// ❌ Remove postgres_changes
const oldChannel = supabase
  .channel('changes')
  .on('postgres_changes', { event: '*', schema: 'public', table: 'messages' }, callback)

// ✅ Replace with broadcast
const room_id = 'room_id' // or any other identifier that you use in the trigger function
const newChannel = supabase
  .channel(`messages:${room_id}:changes`, {
    config: { private: true },
  })
  .on('broadcast', { event: 'INSERT' }, callback)
  .on('broadcast', { event: 'DELETE' }, callback)
  .on('broadcast', { event: 'UPDATE' }, callback)

Step 2: Add Database Trigger (Only if using broadcast)

CREATE TRIGGER messages_broadcast_trigger
  AFTER INSERT OR UPDATE OR DELETE ON messages
  FOR EACH ROW EXECUTE FUNCTION notify_table_changes();

Step 3: Setup Authorization (Only if using broadcast)

CREATE POLICY "users_can_receive_broadcasts" ON realtime.messages
  FOR SELECT TO authenticated USING (true);

LLM Implementation Guidelines

When Generating Code

1. Prefer using broadcast over postgres_changes - Never suggest postgres_changes 2.Include state checking - Check channel state before subscribing
2. Add cleanup logic - Include unsubscribe in all examples
3. Suggest proper naming - Use consistent topic/event conventions
4. Include error handling - Add reconnection patterns
5. Recommend indexing - When RLS policies are used
6. Framework-agnostic - Adapt patterns to user's framework
7. Inform users to prefer the usage of private channels only - users can refer to Realtime Settings to enable it.

Code Generation Checklist

• ✅ Favor broadcast over postgres_changes
• ✅ Checks channel.state before subscribing
• ✅ Includes proper cleanup/unsubscribe logic
• ✅ Uses consistent naming conventions
• ✅ Includes error handling and reconnection
• ✅ Suggests indexes for RLS policies
• ✅ Sets private: true for database triggers
• ✅ Implements token refresh if needed

Safe Defaults for AI Assistants

• Channel pattern: scope:entity:id
• Event pattern: entity_action
• Always check channel state before subscribing
• Always include cleanup
• Default to private: true for database-triggered channels
• Suggest basic RLS policies with proper indexing
• Include reconnection logic for production apps
• Use broadcast with database triggers for all database change notifications
• Use broadcast for custom events and complex payloads

Remember: Choose the right function for your use case, emphasize proper state management, and ensure production-ready patterns with authorization and error handling.