Supabase Database with Flutter: Building Powerful Apps with Real-Time Functionality

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Supabase Database with Flutter: Building Powerful Apps with Real-Time Functionality

Introduction

Due to its impressive performance and ease of use, Flutter is a popular option for creating cross-platform mobile apps. Supabase is a great solution for integrating a robust database backend into your Flutter application. This blog will explore Supabase, and show you how to use its features to provide your Flutter application with a powerful database. Let’s get started!

What is Supabase?

To meet the needs of today’s users, it is important to build powerful and responsive apps. When it comes to building data-driven apps with real-time functionality, having a robust, scalable backend becomes crucial. Supabase is an open-source Backend-as-a-Service solution (BaaS), which combines Firebase with traditional databases. It’s built on PostgreSQL, and adds features such as real-time access and authentication. Supabase is a real-time, scalable and secure database that integrates seamlessly with Flutter apps.

This blog post will examine the integration of Supabase and Flutter. It allows you to use its real-time authentication and database features to create dynamic and interactive applications. We will explore the core concepts of Supabase, and show how it allows developers to build applications that scale easily while maintaining data security and integrity.

This guide is for all Flutter developers, whether you are a seasoned developer or just getting started. It will give you a thorough understanding of Supabase’s integration with Flutter. You’ll have the skills to create powerful real-time apps that are backed up by a scalable and reliable database.

Features

Managing Data with Supabase

Supabase simplifies data management in your Flutter app. You can use the SupabaseClient class to perform queries, inserts, updates, and deletions. Additionally, you can leverage the real-time functionality to subscribe to changes in the database, ensuring that your app’s data remains up-to-date in real-time.

Flutter App with Supabase Authentication

The authentication of users is essential for the majority of applications. Supabase has built-in authentication tools that allow you to authenticate your users using a variety of methods, including email/passwords, social logins, (Google, Facebook etc.) and more. Supabase offers built-in authentication features that allow you to authenticate users through various methods like email/password, social logins (Google, Facebook, etc.), and more. We’ll walk you through the process of implementing Supabase to implement secure user authentication for your Flutter application.

Optimizing Performance with Supabase Indexes

Indexes are essential for optimizing the performance of a database. Supabase allows you to create indexes for frequently queried columns. This will improve query response time. We will explore how to select the correct columns to index in your Supabase Database.

Getting Started with Supabase

You need to create a Supabase Project before you can use Supabase with your Flutter application. Sign up for an account on the dashboard, and create a new project.

You will receive an API key and URL once your project has been set up. These are essential to access the Superbase database.

To get the URL and API key, follow the below guidelines:

After successfully signing in and creating your project, go to the Home option

Integration of Supabase into Flutter

It’s now time to integrate your Supabase app into your Flutter application. This can be done using the Supabase Dart Package, which offers a set of APIs for interacting with the Supabase Backend. These APIs allow you to perform CRUD operations and manage user authentication.

You can also subscribe to real-time updates. To do this, follow the steps below:

In the pubspec.yaml of your Flutter project, import the latest version of the supabase_flutter packages.

The Supabase URL and API Key are required to initialize the Supabase connection in Flutter.

Code snippet

                    
                        Future main() async {
                            WidgetsFlutterBinding.ensureInitialized();
                            await Supabase.initialize(
                              url: 'https://***.supabase.co',
                              anonKey: '***'
                            );
                            final supabase = Supabase.instance.client;
                            runApp(ProviderScope(child: App(supabase: supabase)));
                           }
                           
                    
                    

Code implementation

                    
                        Future main() async {
                            WidgetsFlutterBinding.ensureInitialized();
                           
                            await Supabase.initialize(
                              url: '',
                              anonKey:
                                  'eyJ bGc...',
                            );
                            await AppPreference().initialAppPreference();
                           final supabase = Supabase.instance.client;
                            runApp(ProviderScope(child: App(supabase: supabase)));
                           }
                           class App extends StatelessWidget {
                            const App({Key? key, required this.supabase}) : super(key: key);
                            final SupabaseClient supabase;
                            @override
                            Widget build(BuildContext context) {
                              return MaterialApp(
                                debugShowCheckedModeBanner: false,
                                  initialRoute: '/', routes: {
                                '/': (_) => SplashPage(supabase: supabase),
                                '/login': (_) => LoginPage(supabase: supabase),
                                '/register': (_) => RegisterUser(supabase: supabase),
                                '/home': (_) => HomeScreen(),
                                  // home: Home(supabase: supabase),
                              });
                            }
                           }
                             
                    
                    

Authentication

login. dart

                    
                        class LoginPage extends StatefulWidget {
                            const
                           LoginPage({super.key, this.supabase});
                            final
                           SupabaseClient? supabase;
                            
                            @override
                            LoginPageState
                           createState() => LoginPageState();
                           }
                            
                           class
                           LoginPageState extends State {
                            
                            ...
                            
                            Future
                           _signIn() async {
                              try
                           {
                                debugPrint("EMAIL:
                           ${_emailController.text}, PASSS: ${_passwordController.text}");
                                await
                           widget.supabase?.auth.signInWithPassword(email: _emailController.text,
                           password: _passwordController.text);
                                if
                           (mounted) {
                                  _emailController.clear();
                                  _passwordController.clear();
                                  _redirecting
                           = true;
                                  Navigator.of(context).pushReplacementNamed('/home');
                                }
                              }
                           on AuthException catch (error) {
                                context.showErrorSnackBar(message:
                           error.message);
                              }
                           catch (error) {
                                context.showErrorSnackBar(message:
                           'Unexpected error occurred');
                              }
                            }
                            @override
                            Widget
                           build(BuildContext context) {
                              return
                           Scaffold(
                                appBar:
                           AppBar(title: const Center(child: Text('Login')), backgroundColor: Colors.teal),
                                body:
                           SingleChildScrollView(
                                         ...
                                         Padding(
                                           padding:
                           const EdgeInsets.only(top: 25.0),
                                            child:
                           Container(
                                              height:
                           50,
                                              width:
                           250,
                                              decoration:
                           BoxDecoration(color: Colors.teal, borderRadius: BorderRadius.circular(20)),
                                              child:
                           TextButton(
                                                //
                           style: ButtonStyle(backgroundColor: MaterialStateColor.resolveWith((states)
                           => Colors.teal), ),
                                                onPressed:
                           () async {
                                                  if
                           (_formKey.currentState!.validate()) {
                                                    _signIn();
                                                  }
                                                },
                                                child:
                           const Text(
                                                  'Login',
                                                  style:
                           TextStyle(color: Colors.white, fontSize: 25),
                                                ),
                                              ),
                                            ),
                                          ),
                                          const
                           SizedBox(
                                            height:
                           130,
                                          ),
                                          TextButton(
                                              onPressed:
                           () {
                                                Navigator.push(context,
                           MaterialPageRoute(builder: (_) =>
                                                    //
                           RegisterUser(supabase: widget.supabase ?? Supabase.instance.client)
                                                    SignUpPage(supabase:
                           widget.supabase ?? Supabase.instance.client)
                                                ));
                                              },
                                              child:
                           const Text('Don\'t have an account?', style: TextStyle(color: Colors.teal),)),
                                          const
                           SizedBox(
                                            height:
                           30,
                                          ),
                            
                                       ...
                                ),
                              );
                            }
                           }
                            
                    
                    

signup.dart

                    
                        class SignUpPage extends StatefulWidget {
                            const
                           SignUpPage({super.key, required this.supabase});
                            
                            final
                           SupabaseClient supabase;
                            
                            @override
                            SignUpPageState
                           createState() => SignUpPageState();
                           }
                            
                           class
                           SignUpPageState extends State {
                            
                            ...
                            
                            Future
                           _signUp() async {
                              try
                           {
                                AuthResponse
                           response = await widget.supabase.auth.signUp(
                                    password:
                           _passwordController.text, email: _emailController.text);
                                if
                           (mounted) {
                                  _redirecting
                           = true;
                                  print("Userrr
                           -- ${response.user}");
                                  _saveId(response.user);
                                  Navigator.of(context).pushReplacementNamed("/register").then(
                                      (value)
                           => context.showSnackBar(message: "Verify your email!"));
                                  setState(()
                           {});
                                }
                              }
                           on AuthException catch (error) {
                                context.showErrorSnackBar(message:
                           error.message);
                              }
                           catch (error) {
                                context.showErrorSnackBar(message:
                           'Unexpected error occurred');
                              }
                            }
                            
                            @override
                            Widget
                           build(BuildContext context) {
                              return
                           Scaffold(
                                appBar:
                           AppBar(
                                  title:
                           const Text('Sign Up'),
                                  backgroundColor:
                           Colors.teal,
                                ),
                                body:
                           SingleChildScrollView(
                                  child:
                                        ...
                            
                                        Container(
                                          height:
                           50,
                                          width:
                           250,
                                          decoration:
                           BoxDecoration(
                                              color:
                           Colors.teal,
                                              borderRadius:
                           BorderRadius.circular(20)),
                                          child:
                           TextButton(
                                            onPressed:
                           () {
                                              if
                           (_formKey.currentState!.validate()) {
                                                if
                           (_passwordController.text ==
                                                    _confPasswordController.text)
                           {
                                                  _signUp();
                                                }
                           else {
                                                  ScaffoldMessenger.of(context).showSnackBar(
                                                      const
                           SnackBar(
                                                          content:
                           Text(
                                                              "Passwords
                           didn't match! Try again.")));
                                                }
                                              }
                                            },
                                            child:
                           const Text(
                                              'Sign
                           Up',
                                              style:
                           TextStyle(color: Colors.white, fontSize: 25),
                                            ),
                                          ),
                                        ),
                                        const
                           SizedBox(
                                          height:
                           130,
                                        ),
                            
                                     ...
                            }
                           
                    
                    

Final Output: 1

Final Output: 2

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Supabase is an open-source alternative to Firebase, offering a suite of tools and services for building scalable and real-time applications. With Supabase, developers can set up a PostgreSQL database, authenticate users, manage data, and enable real-time functionality in their Flutter apps.
Supabase leverages PostgreSQL’s NOTIFY/LISTEN feature to provide real-time updates to data changes in the database. By subscribing to changes in specific tables or queries, Flutter apps can receive instant notifications whenever data is added, modified, or deleted, allowing for seamless real-time updates in the user interface.
The benefits of using Supabase with Flutter include simplified backend setup with PostgreSQL database, real-time data synchronization between the database and Flutter app, seamless integration with Flutter’s reactive UI framework, built-in user authentication and authorization features, and open-source nature allowing for customization and community contributions.
Developers can integrate Supabase with Flutter apps by utilizing the Supabase Dart SDK, which provides APIs for interacting with Supabase services such as database queries, authentication, and real-time subscriptions. By adding the Supabase SDK dependency to their Flutter project, developers can easily connect to Supabase and leverage its features within their app.
Common use cases include building real-time chat applications, collaborative task management tools, live streaming apps, social networking platforms, multiplayer games, and any other applications requiring real-time data updates and synchronization across multiple clients.
Supabase provides built-in authentication services, including email/password authentication, social login via OAuth providers (e.g., Google, Facebook), and custom JWT authentication. Developers can authenticate users securely and manage access control with fine-grained permissions using Supabase’s role-based access control (RBAC) system.
Yes, developers can customize and extend Supabase functionality in their Flutter apps by leveraging Supabase’s extensibility features and open-source nature. This includes implementing custom business logic with serverless functions, integrating with third-party services or APIs, extending the user authentication flow, and contributing to the Supabase ecosystem through community contributions.
Considerations include the complexity and scalability requirements of the application, familiarity with PostgreSQL and SQL syntax, data privacy and security concerns, integration with other Flutter packages or plugins, long-term maintenance and support, and alignment with project budget and timeline.
Developers can find resources and tutorials for integrating Supabase with Flutter apps on the official Supabase documentation, community forums like GitHub Discussions and Discord, developer blogs and tutorials, online courses and webinars, and sample projects and code repositories. Additionally, exploring Flutter packages and plugins specific to Supabase integration can provide additional insights and guidance for implementation.
Developers can get started by signing up for a Supabase account, creating a new project, setting up a PostgreSQL database, configuring user authentication, and integrating Supabase services into their Flutter app using the Supabase Dart SDK. From there, developers can explore real-time data synchronization, implement user authentication flows, and build feature-rich applications with ease.