Supabase Setup Guide

This guide walks you through setting up Supabase for the Next.js & Supabase Boilerplate.
Choose between Local Setup (via Docker) for development/testing or Cloud Setup for production.

What you'll learn: - Local vs. Cloud Supabase setup - Authentication configuration & email templates - Database schema management & seeding - Environment configuration & security best practices

Prerequisites

Required:

For Local Development:

Docker Desktop

For Cloud Setup:

Supabase CLI: npm install -g supabase

Quick Start

Method	Best For	Time Required
Local Setup	Development & Testing	~5 minutes
Cloud Setup	Production & Team Collaboration	~10 minutes

Local Supabase Setup

Verify Docker Installation

docker --version
docker ps

If Docker isn’t running, open Docker Desktop and wait for it to initialize.

Start Local Supabase

cd nextjs-and-supabase-boilerplate
npm run db:start

This:

Launches PostgreSQL
Starts Supabase Auth
Initializes Edge Functions
Local dashboard: http://127.0.0.1:54321

Configure Environment

cp .env.example .env

Defaults in .env.example work for local development.

Verify Setup

npx supabase status
open http://127.0.0.1:54321

Cloud Supabase Setup

Create a Project

Go to Supabase Dashboard
Click New Project
Fill in name, password, and region

Get API Credentials

Go to Settings → API
Copy:
- Project URL
- Anon (public) key
- Service role (secret) key

Never expose your service role key in client-side code.

Install & Authenticate CLI

npm install -g supabase
npx supabase login

Push Schema & Seed Data

cd nextjs-and-supabase-boilerplate
npx supabase db push --include-seed

This applies migrations, RLS policies, and seeds data.

Update `.env`

SUPABASE_URL="https://your-project-ref.supabase.co"
SUPABASE_ANON_KEY="your-anon-key"
SUPABASE_SERVICE_KEY="your-service-role-key"

Authentication Setup

Enable Email Provider

Dashboard → Authentication → Providers → Enable Email
Enable confirmations and set Site URL to your domain

Configure SMTP

Use a provider like Resend, SendGrid, or Postmark:

Dashboard → Settings → Auth → SMTP Settings
Enter SMTP credentials
Save changes

Customize Email Templates

Copy templates from /supabase/templates/ (Local)
Paste them into Dashboard → Authentication → Emails

Testing

Database: Dashboard → Table Editor
Auth: Dashboard → Authentication → Users
App: Sign up with a real email
Email: Check inbox for confirmation

Troubleshooting

Connection Problems

Check .env values
Local: Ensure Docker is running
Cloud: Confirm project is active

Schema Push Fails

npx supabase login
npx supabase projects list
npx supabase link --project-ref your-project-ref

On this page