Create a minimal working Supabase example.
Use when starting a new Supabase integration, testing your setup,
or learning basic Supabase API patterns.
Trigger with phrases like "supabase hello world", "supabase example",
"supabase quick start", "simple supabase code".
Execute your first real Supabase query: create a todos table in the dashboard, insert a row with the JS client, and read it back. This validates that your project URL, anon key, and Row Level Security are configured correctly before you build anything else.
Prerequisites
Completed supabase-install-auth setup (project URL + anon key in .env)
-- Create a simple todos table
create table public.todos (
id bigint generated always as identity primary key,
task text not null,
is_complete boolean default false,
inserted_at timestamptz default now()
);
-- Enable Row Level Security (required for anon key access)
alter table public.todos enable row level security;
-- Allow anyone with the anon key to read and insert
-- (permissive for hello-world; lock down before production)
create policy "Allow public read" on public.todos
for select using (true);
create policy "Allow public insert" on public.todos
for insert with check (true);
Verify the table appears under Table Editor in the dashboard before continuing.
Step 2: Insert a Row
import { createClient } from '@supabase/supabase-js'
const supabase = createClient(
process.env.SUPABASE_URL!,
process.env.SUPABASE_ANON_KEY!
)
// Insert a row and return it with .select()
const { data, error } = await supabase
.from('todos')
.insert({ task: 'Hello from Supabase!' })
.select()
if (error) {
console.error('Insert failed:', error.message)
// e.g. "new row violates row-level security policy"
process.exit(1)
}
console.log('Inserted:', data)
// [{ id: 1, task: "Hello from Supabase!", is_complete: false, inserted_at: "2026-03-22T..." }]
Key detail: .insert() alone returns { data: null }. You must chain .select() to get the inserted row back.
Step 3: Read It Back
// Select all rows from todos
const { data: todos, error: selectError } = await supabase
.from('todos')
.select('*')
if (selectError) {
console.error('Select failed:', selectError.message)
process.exit(1)
}
console.log('Todos:', todos)
// [{ id: 1, task: "Hello from Supabase!", is_complete: false, inserted_at: "2026-03-22T..." }]
// Verify the round-trip
if (todos && todos.length > 0) {
console.log('Round-trip verified — row exists in database')
} else {
console.error('No rows returned. Check RLS policies.')
}
Open the Table Editor in the Supabase dashboard to visually confirm the row is there.
Output
todos table created with RLS enabled
One row inserted via the JS client
Same row read back with .select('*')
Dashboard confirms the data round-trip
Error Handling
Error
Cause
Solution
relation "public.todos" does not exist
Table not created
Run the Step 1 SQL in the dashboard SQL Editor
new row violates row-level security policy
RLS blocks the insert
Add the permissive insert policy from Step 1
Invalid API key
Wrong anon key in .env
Copy from Settings > API in the dashboard
FetchError: request to https://... failed
Wrong project URL
Verify SUPABASE_URL matches dashboard URL
data is null after insert
Missing .select() chain
Add .select() after .insert()
Empty array returned from select
RLS blocks reads
Add the select policy from Step 1
Examples
TypeScript (Complete Script)
import { createClient } from '@supabase/supabase-js'
const supabase = createClient(
process.env.SUPABASE_URL!,
process.env.SUPABASE_ANON_KEY!
)
async function helloSupabase() {
// Insert
const { data: inserted, error: insertErr } = await supabase
.from('todos')
.insert({ task: 'Hello from TypeScript!' })
.select()
.single()
if (insertErr) throw new Error(`Insert: ${insertErr.message}`)
console.log('Inserted:', inserted)
// Read back
const { data: rows, error: selectErr } = await supabase
.from('todos')
.select('*')
.order('inserted_at', { ascending: false })
.limit(5)
if (selectErr) throw new Error(`Select: ${selectErr.message}`)
console.log('Recent todos:', rows)
}
helloSupabase().catch(console.error)
Python
from supabase import create_client
import os
supabase = create_client(
os.environ["SUPABASE_URL"],
os.environ["SUPABASE_ANON_KEY"]
)
# Insert a row
result = supabase.table("todos").insert({"task": "Hello from Python!"}).execute()
print("Inserted:", result.data)
# [{"id": 2, "task": "Hello from Python!", "is_complete": False, ...}]
# Read it back
result = supabase.table("todos").select("*").execute()
print("All todos:", result.data)
Install the Python client with: pip install supabase