Introduction

Welcome to our guide on setting up a Supabase project and environment! Whether you're new to Supabase or looking to refresh your setup knowledge, this tutorial will walk you through the process step-by-step. By the end, you'll have a fully functional Supabase project ready for development.

What is Supabase?

Before we dive in, let's quickly recap what Supabase is. It's an open-source Firebase alternative that provides a suite of tools for building modern applications. Supabase offers:

• PostgreSQL database
• Authentication and user management
• Real-time subscriptions
• Storage for large files
• Instant APIs

Now, let's get started with setting up our project!

Creating a Supabase Account

1. Visit the Supabase website and click on "Start your project".
2. Sign up using your preferred method (email, GitHub, etc.).
3. Verify your email if required.

Setting Up Your First Supabase Project

1. Once logged in, click on "New Project".
2. Choose a name for your project. For example, "my-awesome-app".
3. Set a secure database password. Remember this, as you'll need it later!
4. Select your region. Choose the one closest to your target audience for best performance.
5. Click "Create new project". Supabase will now set up your project, which may take a few minutes.

Exploring Your New Project

Once your project is ready, you'll be taken to the Supabase dashboard. Let's explore the key areas:

• Project Settings: Contains your API keys, project URL, and other important configuration details.
• Table Editor: Where you can create and manage your database tables.
• Authentication: Set up and manage user authentication methods.
• Storage: Manage file uploads and storage buckets.
• API: Explore auto-generated API documentation for your project.

Setting Up Your Local Development Environment

Now that we have our Supabase project, let's set up our local environment:

1. Install Node.js if you haven't already. You can download it from nodejs.org.

2. Install the Supabase CLI:

   npm install -g supabase

3. Initialize a new project directory:

   mkdir my-supabase-project
   cd my-supabase-project
   npm init -y

4. Install the Supabase JavaScript client:

   npm install @supabase/supabase-js

5. Create a new file called supabase.js in your project directory:

   import { createClient } from '@supabase/supabase-js'
   
   const supabaseUrl = 'YOUR_SUPABASE_PROJECT_URL'
   const supabaseKey = 'YOUR_SUPABASE_ANON_KEY'
   
   export const supabase = createClient(supabaseUrl, supabaseKey)

   Replace YOUR_SUPABASE_PROJECT_URL and YOUR_SUPABASE_ANON_KEY with the values from your project's API settings in the Supabase dashboard.

Creating Your First Table

Let's create a simple "todos" table in our Supabase database:

1. In the Supabase dashboard, go to the "Table Editor".
2. Click "New Table".
3. Name your table "todos".
4. Add the following columns:
   • id (type: int8, primary key, default: uuid_generate_v4())
   • task (type: text)
   • is_complete (type: boolean, default: false)
   • created_at (type: timestamptz, default: now())
5. Click "Save" to create the table.

Testing Your Setup

Let's write a simple script to test our Supabase setup:

1. Create a file called test.js:

   import { supabase } from './supabase.js'
   
   async function testSupabase() {
     const { data, error } = await supabase
       .from('todos')
       .insert({ task: 'Test Supabase setup' })
       .select()
   
     if (error) {
       console.error('Error:', error)
     } else {
       console.log('Todo created:', data)
     }
   }
   
   testSupabase()

2. Run the script:

   node test.js

If everything is set up correctly, you should see a success message with the created todo item.

Next Steps

Congratulations! You've successfully set up your Supabase project and environment. From here, you can start building your application, adding authentication, creating more complex database structures, and leveraging Supabase's powerful features.

Some areas to explore next:

• Implementing user authentication
• Setting up real-time subscriptions
• Using Supabase storage for file uploads
• Creating and using database functions and triggers

Remember to always refer to the Supabase documentation for detailed information on these topics and more.