April 2023 Summaries

The Supabase Launch Week 7 Hackathon was a resounding success, with exceptional quality apps that showcased innovative uses of AI and other technologies. The winners were announced, and they include projects such as Page Assist, which revolutionizes browsing experiences with ChatGPT API, Rect, an AI-powered assistant that produces educational output material, Supathreads, which creates concise Twitter threads from blog posts using AI, Replay.ai, a Chrome extension that lets users search through their browsing history, Groove AI, which generates drum patterns powered by AI, and more. The winners received prizes including limited edition keyboards and swag kits, and the community was inspired to build with the latest resources available.

Since the release of pg_graphql 1.0.0, several features have been added to improve its APIs. These features include support for views, materialized views, and foreign tables in the GraphQL schema, filtering enhancements with is null and is not null arguments, text filtering options like like, ilike, and startsWith, functional @skip and @include directives from the GraphQL core specification, user-defined descriptions for tables, views, and columns, and a roadmap of upcoming features such as support for user-defined functions, nested inserts, and an alternative approach to computed relationships.

Supabase, an open source platform, has been working with numerous partners and sponsors over the past three months. They've added new integrations such as AWS RDS, Clickhouse Foreign Data Wrapper, LangChain, Vercel + OpenAI, Doppler, Redwood, Dart Edge for Supabase Edge Functions, T3 Turbo x Supabase, and self-hosting with Digital Ocean and Stackgres. They've also improved Postgres extensions and configurations, added support for Swift, Python, and C# client libraries, released Supabase Cache Helpers, and introduced SupaShim by Roboflow. The platform has been upstreaming changes to the Postgres core and supporting the development of OrioleDB. They've also recognized several contributors who have made significant contributions to the Supabase ecosystem.

Supabase Studio 2.0 has been released with a variety of new features and improvements. The update includes Supabase AI, which integrates ChatGPT into the studio for assisted database development. Other notable additions include GraphiQL for querying databases with GraphQL, cascade deletes, Query Performance tool, foreign key selector, Postgres Roles management, Database Webhooks, and API Autodocs. The update also includes improvements to JSON editing, nullable columns, and support for many tables in the Table Editor.

Today, database.dev is publicly previewing a PostgreSQL package manager called dbdev. Currently, the package registry is read-only with preloaded packages showcasing its potential. The tool aims to create an open ecosystem for packaging and discovering SQL, similar to npm for JavaScript, pip for Python, and cargo for Rust. It enables publishing libraries and applications for repeatable deployment on PostgreSQL instances. The initial preview is compatible with new projects on the Supabase platform and can be installed on any PostgreSQL instance that supports pg_tle and pgsql-http. The in-database client is the easiest way to get started, and users can explore all available packages on database.dev.

The development of Trusted Language Extensions (TLEs) by the RDS team aims to make Postgres extensions available on cloud platforms, which currently restrict them due to security concerns. TLEs are written in trusted languages that do not require access to system functions or files, allowing for more flexibility and ease of use. The pg_tle extension enables the installation of TLEs from any database client using a simple function, making it easier for developers to create and share code without needing cloud provider approval. By unifying a standard package platform across Supabase and AWS, the collaboration promotes open source development and speeds up the creation and sharing of new software. The introduction of dbdev, a PostgreSQL Package Manager, further simplifies the installation process with SQL commands, enabling users to easily install TLEs in their database migrations.

Supabase has announced new features for its authentication system, including Single Sign-On (SSO) support using SAML 2.0, better support for server-side rendering and mobile apps with PKCE, and native Apple login on iOS. The SSO feature allows users to log in with their company's identity provider, making it easier for developers to build applications for enterprises. Supabase has also introduced the Proof Key for Code Exchange flow (PKCE) authentication flow to improve security for mobile apps and server-side rendering. Additionally, native Apple login on iOS is now supported, allowing users to sign in with their Apple IDs directly within an app.

Supabase Storage is receiving a significant upgrade, incorporating many of the most requested features from users. These include Resumable Uploads, Quality Filters, Next.js support, and WebP support. The key feature is Resumable Uploads, which allows for continued uploading even if internet connectivity is lost or accidentally closed during the process. Storage v3 introduces additional new features such as more image transformation options, a Next.js loader, presigned upload URLs, and size and file type limits per bucket. The upgrade also includes a deep dive into Resumable Uploads and how they were implemented using TUS (The Upload Server), an open protocol for resumable file uploads.

Edge Functions now natively supports npm modules and Node built-in APIs, allowing users to host their functions anywhere, including self-hosting with Supabase Edge Runtime. This release improves the local development experience by serving all functions at once, enabling better Dev/Prod parity, and enforcing memory/duration limits. The Edge Runtime is a web server written in Rust that uses a custom Deno runtime, serving TypeScript, JavaScript, and WASM functions without changing any code. It also introduces features such as API Gateway to other Supabase services, scheduled functions, and custom global objects. The community is encouraged to contribute to the project and report issues on GitHub.

Supabase has released Logflare, a tool that allows users to view and query their logs from any Supabase service, just as they would in the cloud platform, for self-hosting. Logflare is available under an Apache 2.0 license and supports BigQuery as its backend, with plans to add support for other analytics-optimized databases like Clickhouse. The tool provides an HTTP integration into Supabase Studio, powering log query UIs and time-series charts, and allows users to create API endpoints from SQL queries, including parameterized queries and read-through caching. This feature set enables Supabase to build any view it needs on top of billions of daily log events.

We are in full shipping mode 🛥️… Launch Week 7 can’t come quickly enough! We have so much stuff that we may have to start earlier, so stay tuned to HackerNews on Sunday. Launch Week 7 starts Monday and will feature new features for building faster and better apps, as well as an async hackathon with a Web3 AI theme. The ticket system has been revamped with an AI-fueled design and infinite scroll, while SupaClub, the world's first Software Engineering Nightclub, is set to launch on April 1st. A Twitter Space will kick off Launch Week 7 on Monday, featuring the DevRel team and guests, and various community highlights showcase new projects built with Supabase, including a Next.js OpenAI doc search template, a platform for building GPT-powered prompts, and more.

During Supabase Launch Weeks, tickets are issued to attendees as part of an online conference experience. The ticketing system has been successful since its inception during Launch Week 5. To create visually appealing tickets, the team experimented with AI-generated art using Midjourney and various text prompts, blends, and colors. They eventually settled on a cleaner, simpler aesthetic for their tickets. The Open Graph images are generated for each unique URL and ticket, utilizing Supabase Edge Function together with Supabase Storage for smart caching. The function also detects if the ticket was shared on social media platforms like Twitter or LinkedIn. To turn tickets golden in real-time, users can share their tickets on social media, which triggers an update to their ticket status within the database. Real-time feedback is provided using Supabase Realtime. A ticket wall has also been created for attendees to scroll through and view other participants' tickets. Swag, including a mechanical keyboard, socks, t-shirts, and stickers, are available as prizes during the event.

With Launch Week approaching, a 10-day async hackathon is being held with an AI theme, starting on Friday April 7th and ending on Sunday April 16th. Participants can build new Open Source projects using Supabase in some capacity, with prizes awarded for categories such as Best overall project, Best use of AI, Most fun/Easter egg, Most technically impressive, and Most visually pleasing. The Supabase team will judge the winners based on creativity, functionality, visual appeal, technical excellence, and the use of Supabase features. Teams can consist of 1-5 members, with all winning team members receiving a Supabase swag kit. Participants must submit their project before the deadline, which includes including source code links and (optional) demo videos for extra points. The hackathon is open to individuals and teams, with community resources and support available throughout the event.

Creating an infinite scroll using NextJs, Supabase, and Framer Motion can enhance user experience and engagement by providing a fluid and intuitive browsing experience. This technique automatically loads and displays new content as a user scrolls down a web page, eliminating the need for pagination and reducing the time and effort required to load pages and deliver content. The code implementation involves setting up a supabase-js client, listening to the scroll event, checking if the container intersects with the viewport, loading tickets based on the offset, animating the tickets, and stopping the event listener when finished. By following these steps, developers can create an awesome infinite scroll that provides a seamless and uninterrupted browsing experience for their users.

SupaClub, the world's first Software Engineering Nightclub, is set to open its doors on the Indonesian island of Bali. The unique venue will cater to digital nomads and engineers who can work remotely while enjoying a night out with dedicated DJs, breakout rooms, UltraSpeed 1Gbps WiFi, and bookable standing desks. SupaClub offers special cocktails such as the Bjarne Pisco Stroustrup and The Linus, and will feature performances by Ja Rule and Niki Minaj on its opening night. Email [email protected] with a GitHub account link to reserve a spot on the guest list for the April Fools' event.