PolarDB for PostgreSQL now offers a fully managed Supabase service called PolarDB Supabase. PolarDB Supabase is built on PolarDB for PostgreSQL and integrates key features, such as a real-time database, RESTful APIs, GoTrue identity authentication, file storage, and log collection. This optimized and enhanced service eliminates the need for complex Supabase parameter management and application operations and maintenance (O&M), providing a flexible, high-performance backend solution. You can use PolarDB Supabase to quickly build modern applications, such as web applications, Software as a Service (SaaS) platforms, and AI-integrated applications.
Feature overview
PolarDB Supabase is not a standalone product. It is a managed application layer that runs on your PolarDB for PostgreSQL cluster. It works as follows:
Database core: Your PolarDB for PostgreSQL cluster serves as the data storage and management center for the Supabase application.
Application components: Supabase application components, such as the console, API gateway, and authentication service, run as independent backend and gateway components. These components are fully managed by PolarDB.
Unified management: You can manage and configure Supabase applications from the PolarDB console without directly managing the complex internal components.
Benefits
Enterprise-grade stability and high availability: Built on PolarDB for PostgreSQL, it provides high availability and cross-data center disaster recovery. This ensures continuous system operation and data security, which improves business reliability and resilience.
Built-in AI capabilities: You can invoke built-in AI models for inference and analysis using simple SQL statements. No complex programming or specialized AI knowledge is required.
Real-time database: The built-in real-time database listener immediately pushes data changes to your application, such as a webpage or app. This creates a smooth real-time interactive experience.
Identity authentication: Built-in identity authentication and access control features make it easy to implement user registration, logon, and secure access management for your application.
RESTful API: Based on PostgREST, you can directly access your PolarDB for PostgreSQL cluster using RESTful APIs. This simplifies data access and eliminates repetitive Create, Read, Update, and Delete (CRUD) operations.
Storage service: You can mount a cold storage instance of PolarDB File System (PolarFS) and manage files in the instance using the S3 protocol.
Open source customization: As a downstream version of the open source Supabase, PolarDB Supabase is seamlessly compatible with the open source Supabase ecosystem. It also provides customized optimizations and enhancements for developers.
Serverless: Supports dynamic and elastic scaling. Your components automatically scale based on the business workload to effectively handle sudden traffic spikes and reduce costs.
Scope
Your cluster must meet the following requirements:
Cluster type: Centralized PolarDB for PostgreSQL cluster. PolarDB for PostgreSQL (Distributed Edition) clusters are not supported.
Database engine: PostgreSQL 16.
Notes
After you create a Supabase application, the system automatically generates database accounts for the application, such as
supabase_auth_admin. Do not change the passwords for or delete these accounts.The overall performance of a Supabase application depends on the compute node specifications of the PolarDB for PostgreSQL cluster. Higher node specifications support more connections and provide higher input/output operations per second (IOPS).
Configuration of resources such as CDN is not supported.
Billing
Component fees: Supabase applications are billed separately for their backend components and gateway components. Fees are calculated based on the component specifications (CPU and memory) and subscription duration you select.
Storage fees: Data and files generated by the Supabase application are stored in the storage space of the PolarDB for PostgreSQL cluster.
Traffic and bandwidth: No fees are charged.
Free trial
PolarDB Supabase provides a free trial to experience the service. Enterprise and individual users can try Supabase applications for free. There are currently no limits on the trial duration or the number of trials. You can easily start a trial at any time on the PolarDB purchase page or when you create a Supabase application.
If the specifications, duration, or number of trials for the PolarDB Supabase free trial version are adjusted, we will notify you through product announcements, email, text messages, or the Message Center.
Use an existing cluster to try a Supabase application
Log on to the PolarDB console. In the navigation pane on the left, click PolarDB AI, and then click Create Free Supabase.
On the Create Supabase Application page, select a PolarDB cluster that meets the version requirements. Then, set Application Series to Free Edition.
Create a new cluster to try a Supabase application
You can go to the PolarDB cluster purchase page. Select a cluster that meets the version requirements, and then select the Create a free version of supabase checkbox.
Quick start
1. Create a Supabase application
Use an existing cluster to create a Supabase application
When you create a Supabase application, some parameters of the PolarDB for PostgreSQL cluster must be modified. This modification process restarts the cluster. We recommend that you create the Supabase application during off-peak hours. The following parameters are modified:
wal_level: logical.polar_max_super_conns: 500.
You can run the SHOW xxx; command to view the values of these parameters.
You can create the application in one of the following two ways:
Go to the PolarDB console. In the navigation pane on the left, click PolarDB AI, and then click New AI Application. On the page that appears, click Create Free Supabase to try the application for free.
Go to the PolarDB console. In the navigation pane on the left, click Clusters. Find the cluster that meets the requirements and navigate to its details page. In the navigation pane on the left, choose , and then click New AI Application.
On the application purchase page, select the required configurations:
Configuration item
Note
Billing Method
Subscription: an upfront billing method. When creating an application, select resources with defined specifications and pay for the application in advance. The longer the subscription duration, the higher the discount. This billing method is suitable for scenarios with long-term and stable business requirements.
Pay-as-you-go: a post-paid billing method. When creating an application, select resources with defined specifications, but you do not need to pay for the application in advance. You are charged based on the actual usage duration. This billing method is suitable for scenarios with flexible business requirements.
Engine
Fixed to PolarDB.
Region
Select the region for the application.
NoteYou cannot change the region after the application is purchased.
The application must be in the same region as the PolarDB for PostgreSQL cluster. Therefore, select the same region as the PolarDB for PostgreSQL cluster.
Create the application in the same region as the ECS instances that need to connect to it. Otherwise, they cannot communicate over the private network and can only communicate over the public network. This prevents optimal performance.
Architecture
Select AI Application.
Ecosystem
Automatically populated with the database ecosystem of the source PolarDB cluster. No manual entry is required.
Source PolarDB cluster
Select the PolarDB cluster for the application.
Version
Automatically populated with the database version of the source PolarDB cluster. You do not need to manually enter this information.
AI application
Select Supabase.
Application series
You can select High-availability Edition or Free Edition as needed:
High-availability Edition: You can adjust the component specifications as needed.
Free Edition: Provides a free trial version.
Pay-As-You-Go
You can choose between Standard Pay-as-you-go and Serverless Pay-as-you-go as needed:
Standard Pay-as-you-go: Your component has defined specifications.
Serverless Pay-as-you-go: Your component has dynamic specifications. It automatically scales between the Lower scaling limit and Upper scaling limit based on the workload.
NoteThis option is available only when the Billing Method is pay-as-you-go.
Component Set
An AI application can contain multiple subcomponents that form a component set. For a Supabase application, you can select the following subcomponents:
Gateway component: Contains the Supabase Kong gateway, which is used for traffic management and authentication for the entire application.
Backend component: Contains the following modules:
studio: Supabase Dashboard.
auth: Supabase identity authentication and user management service based on GoTrue.
rest: RESTful API access to the PolarDB for PostgreSQL cluster based on PostgREST.
realtime: WebSocket service based on Supabase Realtime. It supports broadcast push, data sharing, and listening for Postgres data changes.
meta: Manage the PolarDB for PostgreSQL cluster using a RESTful API. This includes managing table schemas, adding user roles, and executing queries.
storage: Storage service based on a cold storage version of the PolarDB file system (PolarFS).
imgproxy: Image processing service based on Imgproxy.
analytics: Log statistics service based on the open source Supabase Logflare.
functions: The Supabase Edge Functions service.
supavisor: Connection pool for the PolarDB for PostgreSQL cluster.
vector: Lightweight observability data collection based on Vector.
NoteEach subcomponent must have at least one instance. You can customize the quantity and specifications of each subcomponent as needed.
AI Application Name
Enter a custom application name.
NoteThe name cannot start with http:// or https:// and must be 2 to 256 characters in length.
Network type
Fixed to VPC.
VPC
This field is automatically populated with the virtual private cloud (VPC) of the source PolarDB cluster. No manual entry is required.
Zone and vSwitch
Configure the vSwitch for the VPC. Select a vSwitch in the same primary zone as the PolarDB for PostgreSQL cluster for optimal network performance.
If the existing vSwitches do not meet your requirements, create a vSwitch.
Security Group
Configure the security group for the application.
Quantity
Select the number of applications to purchase.
NoteEach PolarDB for PostgreSQL cluster supports only one AI application of the same type.
This parameter is available only when Billing Method is set to Subscription.
Subscription duration
Select the subscription duration for the application.
NoteThis parameter is available only when Billing Method is set to Subscription.
Auto-renewal
Configure whether to enable auto-renewal. To prevent service interruptions caused by overdue payments, enable auto-renewal.
NoteThis parameter is available only when Billing Method is set to Subscription.
After the purchase is complete, return to the AI Applications page of the cluster to view the newly created application.
NoteThe system requires 3 to 5 minutes to create the application.
Create a Supabase application on a new cluster
If you do not have a cluster that meets the requirements, or if you cannot modify your existing cluster for business reasons, you can go to the PolarDB cluster purchase page to create a new cluster. On the purchase page, you can directly select the Create A Free Version Of Supabase checkbox to try the application for free.
After the purchase is complete, go to the PolarDB console. In the navigation pane on the left, click Clusters. Find the target cluster and navigate to its details page. In the navigation pane on the left, choose to view the created Supabase application in the AI application list.
The system requires 3 to 5 minutes to create the application.
2. Connect to the Supabase application
Configure an application whitelist: On the AI Applications page, click the Application ID to open the application details page. On the Whitelist tab, you can Add Whitelist, Select Security Groups, or Configure an existing whitelist group.
NoteThe application whitelist is independent of the cluster whitelist and must be configured separately.
If your ECS instance needs to access the application, you can find the IP address of the ECS instance on the ECS Instance Details page and add the IP address to the IP whitelist.
If your ECS instance and the application are in the same VPC, you can add the private IP address of the ECS instance or the CIDR block of its VPC to the whitelist.
If your ECS instance and the application are not in the same VPC, you can add the public IP address of the ECS instance or the security group of the ECS instance to the whitelist.
If your on-premises server, computer, or other cloud servers need to access the application, you must add their public IP addresses to the IP whitelist.
Obtain the endpoint: On the AI Applications page, click the Application ID to open the application details page. On the Basic Information tab, in the Topology section, you can find the Private Endpoint.
NoteYou must apply for a public endpoint separately. To apply, click the Request button.
The public endpoint provides only an IP address and a port, not a domain name. You can attach a domain name if needed.
Obtain application configuration information: On the AI Applications page, click the Application ID to open the application details page. On the Configuration tab, you can find the configuration information.
3. Develop the application
You can directly access the application over the Internet. On the AI Applications page, click Develop Application to open the public endpoint of the Supabase Dashboard. Alternatively, you can enter the public IP address and port of the application in the address bar of your browser to access the Supabase Dashboard.
First, you must add your public IP address to the application whitelist.
The username and password for the Supabase Dashboard are the values of
secret.dashboard.usernameandsecret.dashboard.passwordin the application configuration information.
Appendix: Network configuration
By default, a Supabase application cannot access external networks. You must configure a NAT Gateway for the cluster's VPC to allow the Supabase application to access external networks.
Create an Internet NAT gateway: Go to the NAT Gateway - Internet NAT Gateway purchase page to create a gateway. When you create the gateway, you must select the same VPC and vSwitch as the PolarDB for PostgreSQL cluster.
Configure an SNAT entry: Go to the Internet NAT Gateway page. In the Actions column of the target gateway, click Configure SNAT, and then click Create SNAT Entry. Configure the parameters as follows:
Granularity of SNAT Entry: VPC.
Select Elastic IP Address: From the drop-down list, select the EIP that provides Internet access.