supabase-postgres-best-practices

Supabase Postgres Best Practices

When to Use

Use this skill when you need postgres performance optimization and best practices from Supabase. Use this skill when writing, reviewing, or optimizing Postgres queries, schema designs, or database configurations.

Comprehensive performance optimization guide for Postgres, maintained by Supabase. Contains rules across 8 categories, prioritized by impact to guide automated query optimization and schema design.

When to Apply

Reference these guidelines when:

• Writing SQL queries or designing schemas
• Implementing indexes or query optimization
• Reviewing database performance issues
• Configuring connection pooling or scaling
• Optimizing for Postgres-specific features
• Working with Row-Level Security (RLS)

Execution and evidence boundaries

SQL is illustrative, not an instruction to mutate a live database. Confirm target, permissions, locks, backups and rollback before DDL/DML, global settings, resets or extension changes. EXPLAIN ANALYZE executes its statement and can invoke side effects even for SELECT; inspect first and use a disposable environment when needed. All speedups, row counts, memory estimates and plan outputs here are examples, not measured guarantees. Benchmark equivalent workloads and preserve RLS semantics while optimizing.

Rule Categories by Priority

Priority	Category	Impact	Prefix
1	Query Performance	CRITICAL	query-
2	Connection Management	CRITICAL	conn-
3	Security & RLS	CRITICAL	security-
4	Schema Design	HIGH	schema-
5	Concurrency & Locking	MEDIUM-HIGH	lock-
6	Data Access Patterns	MEDIUM	data-
7	Monitoring & Diagnostics	LOW-MEDIUM	monitor-
8	Advanced Features	LOW	advanced-

How to Use

Read individual rule files for detailed explanations and SQL examples:

references/query-missing-indexes.md
references/query-partial-indexes.md
references/_sections.md

Each rule file contains:

• Brief explanation of why it matters
• Incorrect SQL example with explanation
• Correct SQL example with explanation
• Optional EXPLAIN output or metrics
• Additional context and references
• Supabase-specific notes (when applicable)

References

• https://www.postgresql.org/docs/current/
• https://supabase.com/docs
• https://wiki.postgresql.org/wiki/Performance_Optimization
• https://supabase.com/docs/guides/database/overview
• https://supabase.com/docs/guides/auth/row-level-security

Limitations

• Use this skill only when the task clearly matches its upstream product or API scope.
• Verify commands, API behavior, pricing, quotas, credentials, and deployment effects against current official documentation before making changes.
• Do not treat generated examples as a substitute for environment-specific tests, security review, or user approval for destructive or costly actions.