Building a Node.js CRUD API with Supabase

Introduction In modern web development, integrating a backend with a scalable database is essential for building dynamic applications. In this blog, we will explore how to create a RESTful API using Node.js, Express.js, and Supabase (a powerful open-source alternative to Firebase). This API will handle basic CRUD (Create, Read, Update, Delete) operations for user management. Why Supabase? Supabase is an open-source backend-as-a-service (BaaS) that provides features like: PostgreSQL database with real-time capabilities Authentication and authorization Storage for managing files Auto-generated APIs for database interactions With Supabase, you get a fully managed PostgreSQL database with an easy-to-use JavaScript SDK. Tech Stack Node.js: Server-side JavaScript runtime Express.js: Minimalist web framework for Node.js Supabase: PostgreSQL-based backend dotenv: For managing environment variables Swagger: API documentation tool CORS: Enables cross-origin resource sharing Project Setup 1. Clone the Repository git clone https://github.com/manthanank/nodejs-supabase.git cd nodejs-supabase 2. Install Dependencies npm install 3. Configure Environment Variables Create a .env file and add your Supabase credentials: SUPABASE_URL=https://your-project-url.supabase.co SUPABASE_KEY=your-anon-or-service-role-key PORT=5000 4. Run the Application Start the development server: npm run dev For production: npm start Your API will now be running at http://localhost:5000. Project Structure nodejs-supabase ├── .env # Environment variables ├── index.js # Main application entry point ├── package.json # Project dependencies and scripts ├── README.md # Project documentation ├── config/ │ ├── supabaseClient.js # Supabase client configuration │ └── swagger.js # Swagger configuration ├── controllers/ │ └── userController.js # User controller functions ├── routes/ │ └── userRoutes.js # API route definitions with Swagger docs └── services/ └── userService.js # Business logic for user operations API Endpoints Users CRUD Operations Method Endpoint Description POST /api/users Create a new user GET /api/users Get all users GET /api/users/search?query=name Search users by name GET /api/users/:id Get user by ID GET /api/users/email/:email Get user by email PUT /api/users/:id Update user by ID DELETE /api/users/:id Delete user by ID Key Implementations Supabase Client Setup Create config/supabaseClient.js: import { createClient } from "@supabase/supabase-js"; import dotenv from "dotenv"; dotenv.config(); const supabase = createClient( process.env.SUPABASE_URL, process.env.SUPABASE_KEY ); export default supabase; CRUD Operations in userService.js Create User export const createUser = async (userData) => { const { data, error } = await supabase .from("users") .insert([userData]) .select(); if (error) throw new Error(error.message); return data; }; Fetch Users export const getUsers = async () => { const { data, error } = await supabase.from("users").select("*"); if (error) throw new Error(error.message); return data; }; Update User export const updateUser = async (id, updates) => { const { data, error } = await supabase .from("users") .update(updates) .eq("id", id) .select(); if (error) throw new Error(error.message); return data; }; Delete User export const deleteUser = async (id) => { const { error } = await supabase .from("users") .delete() .eq("id", id); if (error) throw new Error(error.message); return { success: true, message: "User deleted successfully" }; }; API Routes in userRoutes.js import express from "express"; import { addUser, fetchUsers, fetchUserById, fetchUserByEmail, modifyUser, removeUser } from "../controllers/userController.js"; const router = express.Router(); router.post("/users", addUser); router.get("/users", fetchUsers); router.get("/users/:id", fetchUserById); router.get("/users/email/:email", fetchUserByEmail); router.put("/users/:id", modifyUser); router.delete("/users/:id", removeUser); export default router; Testing the API Create a User curl -X POST http://localhost:5000/api/users \ -H "Content-Type: application/json" \ -d '{"name": "John Doe", "email": "john@example.com", "age": 30}' Search Users curl -X GET http://localhost:5000/api/users/search?query=John Swagger API Documentation To enable API documentation, navigate to: http://localhost:5000/api-docs This provides an interactive UI for testing endpoints. Conclusion In

Mar 17, 2025 - 06:49

Building a Node.js CRUD API with Supabase

Introduction

In modern web development, integrating a backend with a scalable database is essential for building dynamic applications. In this blog, we will explore how to create a RESTful API using Node.js, Express.js, and Supabase (a powerful open-source alternative to Firebase). This API will handle basic CRUD (Create, Read, Update, Delete) operations for user management.

Why Supabase?

Supabase is an open-source backend-as-a-service (BaaS) that provides features like:

PostgreSQL database with real-time capabilities
Authentication and authorization
Storage for managing files
Auto-generated APIs for database interactions

With Supabase, you get a fully managed PostgreSQL database with an easy-to-use JavaScript SDK.

Tech Stack

Node.js: Server-side JavaScript runtime
Express.js: Minimalist web framework for Node.js
Supabase: PostgreSQL-based backend
dotenv: For managing environment variables
Swagger: API documentation tool
CORS: Enables cross-origin resource sharing

Project Setup

1. Clone the Repository

git clone https://github.com/manthanank/nodejs-supabase.git
cd nodejs-supabase

2. Install Dependencies

npm install

3. Configure Environment Variables

Create a .env file and add your Supabase credentials:

SUPABASE_URL=https://your-project-url.supabase.co
SUPABASE_KEY=your-anon-or-service-role-key
PORT=5000

4. Run the Application

Start the development server:

npm run dev

For production:

npm start

Your API will now be running at http://localhost:5000.

Project Structure

nodejs-supabase
├── .env                   # Environment variables
├── index.js               # Main application entry point
├── package.json           # Project dependencies and scripts
├── README.md              # Project documentation
├── config/
│   ├── supabaseClient.js  # Supabase client configuration
│   └── swagger.js         # Swagger configuration
├── controllers/
│   └── userController.js  # User controller functions
├── routes/
│   └── userRoutes.js      # API route definitions with Swagger docs
└── services/
    └── userService.js     # Business logic for user operations

API Endpoints

Users CRUD Operations

Method	Endpoint	Description
POST	`/api/users`	Create a new user
GET	`/api/users`	Get all users
GET	`/api/users/search?query=name`	Search users by name
GET	`/api/users/:id`	Get user by ID
GET	`/api/users/email/:email`	Get user by email
PUT	`/api/users/:id`	Update user by ID
DELETE	`/api/users/:id`	Delete user by ID

Key Implementations

Supabase Client Setup

Create config/supabaseClient.js:

import { createClient } from "@supabase/supabase-js";
import dotenv from "dotenv";

dotenv.config();

const supabase = createClient(
  process.env.SUPABASE_URL,
  process.env.SUPABASE_KEY
);

export default supabase;

CRUD Operations in `userService.js`

Create User

export const createUser = async (userData) => {
  const { data, error } = await supabase
    .from("users")
    .insert([userData])
    .select();

  if (error) throw new Error(error.message);
  return data;
};

Fetch Users

export const getUsers = async () => {
  const { data, error } = await supabase.from("users").select("*");

  if (error) throw new Error(error.message);
  return data;
};

Update User

export const updateUser = async (id, updates) => {
  const { data, error } = await supabase
    .from("users")
    .update(updates)
    .eq("id", id)
    .select();

  if (error) throw new Error(error.message);
  return data;
};

Delete User

export const deleteUser = async (id) => {
  const { error } = await supabase
    .from("users")
    .delete()
    .eq("id", id);

  if (error) throw new Error(error.message);
  return { success: true, message: "User deleted successfully" };
};

API Routes in `userRoutes.js`

import express from "express";
import { addUser, fetchUsers, fetchUserById, fetchUserByEmail, modifyUser, removeUser } from "../controllers/userController.js";

const router = express.Router();

router.post("/users", addUser);
router.get("/users", fetchUsers);
router.get("/users/:id", fetchUserById);
router.get("/users/email/:email", fetchUserByEmail);
router.put("/users/:id", modifyUser);
router.delete("/users/:id", removeUser);

export default router;

Testing the API

Create a User

curl -X POST http://localhost:5000/api/users \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"name": "John Doe", "email": "john@example.com", "age": 30}'

Search Users

curl -X GET http://localhost:5000/api/users/search?query=John

Swagger API Documentation

To enable API documentation, navigate to:

http://localhost:5000/api-docs

This provides an interactive UI for testing endpoints.

Conclusion

In this blog, we covered how to build a CRUD API using Node.js, Express.js, and Supabase. Supabase simplifies database management while offering powerful features like authentication and real-time updates. By integrating Swagger, we also ensured that our API is well-documented and easy to use.

This API can be extended with additional functionalities like authentication, role-based access control, and real-time updates.

Happy coding!