Supabase Template is Now Available on DigitalOcean App Platform

 

Modern applications need more than just a database. They need authentication, auto-generated APIs, file storage, and real-time subscriptions. Supabase is a powerful open-source Firebase alternative that transforms PostgreSQL into a complete backend platform. With its developer-friendly SDKs and instant API generation, Supabase is a top request from teams who want full control over their infrastructure without sacrificing speed.

Today, we’re excited to announce native support for Supabase templates on the DigitalOcean App Platform. Deploy a production-ready Supabase backend with one click, complete with managed PostgreSQL, authentication, REST API, file storage, and real-time capabilities.

Benefits

• Instant Backend: Get authentication, auto-generated REST APIs, file storage, and real-time subscriptions without writing backend code.
  
  
• Production-Ready Security: Every deployment includes JWT authentication, Row Level Security (RLS), and secure credential management out of the box.
  
  
• Self-Hosted Control: Keep your data, auth credentials, and file storage on infrastructure you control—no vendor lock-in.
  
  
• Full-Stack Ready: Deploy Supabase alongside your frontend application in a single App Platform project.

Architecture Overview

The Supabase template deploys a complete backend stack that auto-generates APIs from your PostgreSQL schema. Your frontend applications connect through four specialized services that handle data, authentication, files, and real-time updates.

How Supabase Works

Unlike traditional backends where you write API endpoints manually, Supabase auto-generates them from your database schema:

Row Level Security (RLS) policies on your tables control who can access what - users only see their own data, automatically.

How to Get Started

The template repository contains everything you need to deploy Supabase on App Platform:

github.com/AppPlatform-Templates/supabase-appplatform

You have three deployment paths:

• One-Click: Use the Deploy to DigitalOcean button in the repository for instant deployment
  
  
• Console or CLI: Fork the repo and deploy via the DigitalOcean Control Panel or doctl CLI
  
  
• AI-Assisted: Use an AI coding assistant with App Platform Skills for guided, full-stack deployments

Deploying with AI Assistants

AI assistants can deploy your complete stack—Supabase backend plus your frontend application—in a single workflow. We recommend using DigitalOcean App Platform Skills. Clone the skills repository to your assistant’s skills directory:

Shell

# For Claude, Cursor, Codex, or Gemini

git clone https://github.com/digitalocean-labs/do-app-platform-skills.git \

  $HOME/.[claude|cursor|codex|gemini]/skills/do-app-platform-skills**

Verify your assistant has access by asking: “Do you have access to DigitalOcean App Platform skills?”

Then use a prompt like:

Shell

Prompt: Build NexusChat on DigitalOcean App Platform

Build NexusChat, a real-time AI-powered chatroom that showcases Supabase capabilities: authentication with user profiles, chat rooms with instant messaging via Realtime subscriptions, image sharing via Storage, and an AI assistant triggered by @ai mentions using the Gradient API. This demonstrates a complete full-stack pattern for Supabase on App Platform.



Use the skills from https://github.com/digitalocean-labs/do-app-platform-skills and reference the Supabase template at https://github.com/AppPlatform-Templates/supabase-appplatform.



Before starting, check if progress-artifacts.md exists—if so, read it to resume from the previous session. Create a detailed implementation plan with checkable tasks, execute phase by phase, and keep artifacts updated so I can start a new session at any time and you'll pick up exactly where we left off.

  - Session continuity: Maintain progress-artifacts.md (gitignored) with GitHub repo, App Platform app ID/URL, secrets status (configured/missing), database cluster info, current phase, and completed tasks—update after every major step

  - App database design: Design your application tables with PostgREST-compatible foreign keys (reference public.profiles, not auth.users), enable RLS on all tables, and use the auth.uid() helper function for JWT claims in policies

  - Deployment: Do NOT deploy Studio or Meta services. GitHub Actions workflow injects secrets via sed, deploys with doctl apps update, and uses --force-rebuild for static site updates

  - Verification: Use browser automation to perform real end-to-end testing—test auth flow, database operations, realtime subscriptions, and AI integration before marking each phase complete

The assistant will create a detailed plan covering database setup, RLS policies, frontend configuration, and deployment - then execute each step with your approval.

What’s Included

• PostgREST for auto-generated REST APIs from your schema
• GoTrue for email/password authentication and JWT tokens
• Storage API for file uploads to DigitalOcean Spaces
• Real-time for WebSocket subscriptions on database changes
• PostgreSQL 17 with pre-configured roles (anon, authenticated, service_role)
• Database initialization with auth helper functions and RLS support

For database management, use any PostgreSQL client (pgAdmin, DBeaver, psql) or run Supabase Studio locally for a visual interface.