Database Setup & Connections

Configure and manage your database.

This section guides you through setting up and connecting to your Supabase PostgreSQL database, which serves as the backbone for Plainform data storage.

Plainform uses a Supabase PostgreSQL instance for its database. To connect your application, you must configure the DATABASE_URL environment variable with the connection string provided by Supabase. The t3-env library validates this variable at runtime to ensure a successful connection; if missing or invalid, the app will not start.

Steps to Set Up and Connect

Create a Supabase Project

  • Sign up at Supabase and create a new project.
  • Navigate to Settings > Database in your Supabase dashboard to find your connection string.

Configure the Environment Variable

  • Copy the PostgreSQL connection string (e.g., postgresql://postgres:[YOUR-PASSWORD]@db.your-project-ref.supabase.co:6543/postgres?pgbouncer=true).
  • Add it to your .env file (or .env.local for development):
DATABASE_URL=postgresql://postgres:[YOUR-PASSWORD]@db.your-project-ref.supabase.co:6543/postgres?pgbouncer=true
  • Ensure the .env file is listed in .gitignore to avoid exposing sensitive credentials.

Verify Connection

  • Sign up at Supabase and create a new project.
  • Navigate to Settings > Database in your Supabase dashboard to find your connection string.

Configure the Environment Variable

  • Run npm run dev to start your app. The t3-env validation in env.mjs will check the DATABASE_URL.
  • If the connection fails, confirm the string format and network access (Supabase allows connections from your app’s IP).

Supabase’s dashboard provides tools to manage your database, such as creating tables or exploring data. Ensure your DATABASE_URL includes the correct credentials and host to avoid connection errors.

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