supabase-postgres-best-practices

Supabase Postgres Best Practices

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)

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/schema-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