Build a User Management App with Next.js

This tutorial demonstrates how to build a basic user management app. The app authenticates and identifies the user, stores their profile information in the database, and allows the user to log in, update their profile details, and upload a profile photo. The app uses:

Supabase Database - a Postgres database for storing your user data and Row Level Security so data is protected and users can only access their own information.
Supabase Auth - users log in through magic links sent to their email (without having to set up passwords).
Supabase Storage - users can upload a profile photo.

Supabase User Management example

note

If you get stuck while working through this guide, refer to the full example on GitHub.

Project setup#

Before we start building we're going to set up our Database and API. This is as simple as starting a new Project in Supabase and then creating a "schema" inside the database.

Create a project#

Create a new project in the Supabase Dashboard.
Enter your project details.
Wait for the new database to launch.

Set up the database schema#

Now we are going to set up the database schema. We can use the "User Management Starter" quickstart in the SQL Editor, or you can just copy/paste the SQL from below and run it yourself.

Go to the SQL Editor page in the Dashboard.
Click User Management Starter.
Click Run.

note

You can easily pull the database schema down to your local project by running the db pull command. Read the local development docs for detailed instructions.


_10supabase link --project-ref <project-id>
_10# You can get <project-id> from your project's dashboard URL: https://supabase.com/dashboard/project/<project-id>
_10supabase db pull

Get the API Keys#

Now that you've created some database tables, you are ready to insert data using the auto-generated API. We just need to get the Project URL and anon key from the API settings.

Go to the API Settings page in the Dashboard.
Find your Project URL, anon, and service_role keys on this page.

Building the App#

Let's start building the Next.js app from scratch.

Initialize a Next.js app#

We can use create-next-app to initialize an app called supabase-nextjs:


_10npx create-next-app@latest --use-npm supabase-nextjs
_10cd supabase-nextjs

Then install the Supabase client library: supabase-js


_10npm install @supabase/supabase-js

And finally we want to save the environment variables in a .env.local. All we need are the API URL and the anon key that you copied earlier.

.env.local


_10NEXT_PUBLIC_SUPABASE_URL=YOUR_SUPABASE_URL
_10NEXT_PUBLIC_SUPABASE_ANON_KEY=YOUR_SUPABASE_ANON_KEY

And one optional step is to update the CSS file app/globals.css to make the app look nice. You can find the full contents of this file here.

Supabase Auth Helpers#

Next.js is a highly versatile framework offering pre-rendering at build time (SSG), server-side rendering at request time (SSR), API routes, and middleware edge-functions.

It can be challenging to authenticate your users in all these different environments, that's why we've created the Supabase Auth Helpers to make user management and data fetching within Next.js as easy as possible.

Install the auth helpers for Next.js


_10npm install @supabase/auth-helpers-nextjs @supabase/supabase-js

Next.js Middleware#

Create a middleware.js file and include the following content to:

Verify if there is an authenticated Supabase user
Validate if the user is authenticated and currently on the sign-in page, redirecting them to the account page
Verify if the user is not authenticated and currently on the account page, redirecting them to the sign-in page.

middleware.js


_27import { createMiddlewareClient } from '@supabase/auth-helpers-nextjs'
_27import { NextResponse } from 'next/server'
_27
_27export async function middleware(req) {
_27  const res = NextResponse.next()
_27  const supabase = createMiddlewareClient({ req, res })
_27
_27  const {
_27    data: { user },
_27  } = await supabase.auth.getUser()
_27
_27  // if user is signed in and the current path is / redirect the user to /account
_27  if (user && req.nextUrl.pathname === '/') {
_27    return NextResponse.redirect(new URL('/account', req.url))
_27  }
_27
_27  // if user is not signed in and the current path is not / redirect the user to /
_27  if (!user && req.nextUrl.pathname !== '/') {
_27    return NextResponse.redirect(new URL('/', req.url))
_27  }
_27
_27  return res
_27}
_27
_27export const config = {
_27  matcher: ['/', '/account'],
_27}

Supabase Auth UI#

We can use the Supabase Auth UI a pre-built React component for authenticating users via OAuth, email, and magic links.

Install the Supabase Auth UI for React


_10npm install @supabase/auth-ui-react @supabase/auth-ui-shared

Create an AuthForm client side component with the Auth component rendered within it:

app/auth-form.jsx


_20'use client'
_20import { Auth } from '@supabase/auth-ui-react'
_20import { ThemeSupa } from '@supabase/auth-ui-shared'
_20import { createClientComponentClient } from '@supabase/auth-helpers-nextjs'
_20
_20export default function AuthForm() {
_20  const supabase = createClientComponentClient()
_20
_20  return (
_20    <Auth
_20      supabaseClient={supabase}
_20      view="magic_link"
_20      appearance={{ theme: ThemeSupa }}
_20      theme="dark"
_20      showLinks={false}
_20      providers={[]}
_20      redirectTo="http://localhost:3000/auth/callback"
_20    />
_20  )
_20}

note

If you are using TypeScript for this project, see generating types to automatically generate types from your database tables.

Add the AuthForm component to your home page

app/page.js


_18import AuthForm from './auth-form'
_18
_18export default function Home() {
_18  return (
_18    <div className="row">
_18      <div className="col-6">
_18        <h1 className="header">Supabase Auth + Storage</h1>
_18        <p className="">
_18          Experience our Auth and Storage through a simple profile management example. Create a user
_18          profile and upload an avatar image. Fast, simple, secure.
_18        </p>
_18      </div>
_18      <div className="col-6 auth-widget">
_18        <AuthForm />
_18      </div>
_18    </div>
_18  )
_18}

Proof Key for Code Exchange (PKCE)#

As we are employing Proof Key for Code Exchange (PKCE) in our authentication flow, it is necessary to create a route handler responsible for exchanging the code for a session.

In the following code snippet, we perform the following steps:

Retrieve the code sent back from the Supabase Auth server using the code query parameter.
Exchange this code for a session, which we store in our chosen storage mechanism (in this case, cookies).
Finally, we redirect the user to the account page.

app/auth/callback/route.js


_16import { createRouteHandlerClient } from '@supabase/auth-helpers-nextjs'
_16import { cookies } from 'next/headers'
_16import { NextResponse } from 'next/server'
_16
_16export async function GET(req) {
_16  const cookieStore = cookies()
_16  const supabase = createRouteHandlerClient({ cookies: () => cookieStore })
_16  const { searchParams } = new URL(req.url)
_16  const code = searchParams.get('code')
_16
_16  if (code) {
_16    await supabase.auth.exchangeCodeForSession(code)
_16  }
_16
_16  return NextResponse.redirect(new URL('/account', req.url))
_16}

Sign out#

Let's create a route handler to handle the signout from the server side.

app/auth/signout/route.js


_21import { createRouteHandlerClient } from '@supabase/auth-helpers-nextjs'
_21import { cookies } from 'next/headers'
_21import { NextResponse } from 'next/server'
_21
_21export async function POST(req) {
_21  const cookieStore = cookies()
_21  const supabase = createRouteHandlerClient({ cookies: () => cookieStore })
_21
_21  // Check if we have a session
_21  const {
_21    data: { session },
_21  } = await supabase.auth.getSession()
_21
_21  if (session) {
_21    await supabase.auth.signOut()
_21  }
_21
_21  return NextResponse.redirect(new URL('/', req.url), {
_21    status: 302,
_21  })
_21}

Account page#

After a user is signed in we can allow them to edit their profile details and manage their account.

Let's create a new component for that called AccountForm within the app/account folder.

app/account/account-form.jsx


_119'use client'
_119import { useCallback, useEffect, useState } from 'react'
_119import { createClientComponentClient } from '@supabase/auth-helpers-nextjs'
_119
_119export default function AccountForm({ session }) {
_119  const supabase = createClientComponentClient()
_119  const [loading, setLoading] = useState(true)
_119  const [fullname, setFullname] = useState(null)
_119  const [username, setUsername] = useState(null)
_119  const [website, setWebsite] = useState(null)
_119  const [avatar_url, setAvatarUrl] = useState(null)
_119  const user = session?.user
_119
_119  const getProfile = useCallback(async () => {
_119    try {
_119      setLoading(true)
_119
_119      const { data, error, status } = await supabase
_119        .from('profiles')
_119        .select(`full_name, username, website, avatar_url`)
_119        .eq('id', user?.id)
_119        .single()
_119
_119      if (error && status !== 406) {
_119        throw error
_119      }
_119
_119      if (data) {
_119        setFullname(data.full_name)
_119        setUsername(data.username)
_119        setWebsite(data.website)
_119        setAvatarUrl(data.avatar_url)
_119      }
_119    } catch (error) {
_119      alert('Error loading user data!')
_119    } finally {
_119      setLoading(false)
_119    }
_119  }, [user, supabase])
_119
_119  useEffect(() => {
_119    getProfile()
_119  }, [user, getProfile])
_119
_119  async function updateProfile({ username, website, avatar_url }) {
_119    try {
_119      setLoading(true)
_119
_119      const { error } = await supabase.from('profiles').upsert({
_119        id: user?.id,
_119        full_name: fullname,
_119        username,
_119        website,
_119        avatar_url,
_119        updated_at: new Date().toISOString(),
_119      })
_119      if (error) throw error
_119      alert('Profile updated!')
_119    } catch (error) {
_119      alert('Error updating the data!')
_119    } finally {
_119      setLoading(false)
_119    }
_119  }
_119
_119  return (
_119    <div className="form-widget">
_119      <div>
_119        <label htmlFor="email">Email</label>
_119        <input id="email" type="text" value={session?.user.email} disabled />
_119      </div>
_119      <div>
_119        <label htmlFor="fullName">Full Name</label>
_119        <input
_119          id="fullName"
_119          type="text"
_119          value={fullname || ''}
_119          onChange={(e) => setFullname(e.target.value)}
_119        />
_119      </div>
_119      <div>
_119        <label htmlFor="username">Username</label>
_119        <input
_119          id="username"
_119          type="text"
_119          value={username || ''}
_119          onChange={(e) => setUsername(e.target.value)}
_119        />
_119      </div>
_119      <div>
_119        <label htmlFor="website">Website</label>
_119        <input
_119          id="website"
_119          type="url"
_119          value={website || ''}
_119          onChange={(e) => setWebsite(e.target.value)}
_119        />
_119      </div>
_119
_119      <div>
_119        <button
_119          className="button primary block"
_119          onClick={() => updateProfile({ fullname, username, website, avatar_url })}
_119          disabled={loading}
_119        >
_119          {loading ? 'Loading ...' : 'Update'}
_119        </button>
_119      </div>
_119
_119      <div>
_119        <form action="/auth/signout" method="post">
_119          <button className="button block" type="submit">
_119            Sign out
_119          </button>
_119        </form>
_119      </div>
_119    </div>
_119  )
_119}

Create a account page for the AccountForm component we just created

app/account/page.jsx


_14import { createServerComponentClient } from '@supabase/auth-helpers-nextjs'
_14import { cookies } from 'next/headers'
_14import AccountForm from './account-form'
_14
_14export default async function Account() {
_14  const cookieStore = cookies()
_14  const supabase = createServerComponentClient({ cookies: () => cookieStore })
_14
_14  const {
_14    data: { session },
_14  } = await supabase.auth.getSession()
_14
_14  return <AccountForm session={session} />
_14}

Launch!#

Now that we have all the pages, route handlers and components in place, let's run this in a terminal window:


_10npm run dev

And then open the browser to localhost:3000 and you should see the completed app.

Bonus: Profile photos#

Every Supabase project is configured with Storage for managing large files like photos and videos.

Let's create an avatar widget for the user so that they can upload a profile photo. We can start by creating a new component:

app/account/avatar.jsx


_87'use client'
_87import React, { useEffect, useState } from 'react'
_87import { createClientComponentClient } from '@supabase/auth-helpers-nextjs'
_87import Image from 'next/image'
_87
_87export default function Avatar({ uid, url, size, onUpload }) {
_87  const supabase = createClientComponentClient()
_87  const [avatarUrl, setAvatarUrl] = useState(null)
_87  const [uploading, setUploading] = useState(false)
_87
_87  useEffect(() => {
_87    async function downloadImage(path) {
_87      try {
_87        const { data, error } = await supabase.storage.from('avatars').download(path)
_87        if (error) {
_87          throw error
_87        }
_87
_87        const url = URL.createObjectURL(data)
_87        setAvatarUrl(url)
_87      } catch (error) {
_87        console.log('Error downloading image: ', error)
_87      }
_87    }
_87
_87    if (url) downloadImage(url)
_87  }, [url, supabase])
_87
_87  const uploadAvatar = async (event) => {
_87    try {
_87      setUploading(true)
_87
_87      if (!event.target.files || event.target.files.length === 0) {
_87        throw new Error('You must select an image to upload.')
_87      }
_87
_87      const file = event.target.files[0]
_87      const fileExt = file.name.split('.').pop()
_87      const filePath = `${uid}-${Math.random()}.${fileExt}`
_87
_87      const { error: uploadError } = await supabase.storage.from('avatars').upload(filePath, file)
_87
_87      if (uploadError) {
_87        throw uploadError
_87      }
_87
_87      onUpload(filePath)
_87    } catch (error) {
_87      alert('Error uploading avatar!')
_87    } finally {
_87      setUploading(false)
_87    }
_87  }
_87
_87  return (
_87    <div>
_87      {avatarUrl ? (
_87        <Image
_87          width={size}
_87          height={size}
_87          src={avatarUrl}
_87          alt="Avatar"
_87          className="avatar image"
_87          style={{ height: size, width: size }}
_87        />
_87      ) : (
_87        <div className="avatar no-image" style={{ height: size, width: size }} />
_87      )}
_87      <div style={{ width: size }}>
_87        <label className="button primary block" htmlFor="single">
_87          {uploading ? 'Uploading ...' : 'Upload'}
_87        </label>
_87        <input
_87          style={{
_87            visibility: 'hidden',
_87            position: 'absolute',
_87          }}
_87          type="file"
_87          id="single"
_87          accept="image/*"
_87          onChange={uploadAvatar}
_87          disabled={uploading}
_87        />
_87      </div>
_87    </div>
_87  )
_87}

And then we can add the widget to the AccountForm component:

app/account/account-form.js


_20// Import the new component
_20import Avatar from './avatar'
_20
_20// ...
_20
_20return (
_20  <div className="form-widget">
_20    {/* Add to the body */}
_20    <Avatar
_20      uid={user.id}
_20      url={avatar_url}
_20      size={150}
_20      onUpload={(url) => {
_20        setAvatarUrl(url)
_20        updateProfile({ fullname, username, website, avatar_url: url })
_20      }}
_20    />
_20    {/* ... */}
_20  </div>
_20)

Storage management#

If you upload additional profile photos, they'll accumulate in the avatars bucket because of their random names with only the latest being referenced from public.profiles and the older versions getting orphaned.

To automatically remove obsolete storage objects, extend the database triggers. Note that it is not sufficient to delete the objects from the storage.objects table because that would orphan and leak the actual storage objects in the S3 backend. Instead, invoke the storage API within Postgres via the http extension.

Enable the http extension for the extensions schema in the Dashboard. Then, define the following SQL functions in the SQL Editor to delete storage objects via the API:


_34create or replace function delete_storage_object(bucket text, object text, out status int, out content text)
_34returns record
_34language 'plpgsql'
_34security definer
_34as $$
_34declare
_34  project_url text := '<YOURPROJECTURL>';
_34  service_role_key text := '<YOURSERVICEROLEKEY>'; --  full access needed
_34  url text := project_url||'/storage/v1/object/'||bucket||'/'||object;
_34begin
_34  select
_34      into status, content
_34           result.status::int, result.content::text
_34      FROM extensions.http((
_34    'DELETE',
_34    url,
_34    ARRAY[extensions.http_header('authorization','Bearer '||service_role_key)],
_34    NULL,
_34    NULL)::extensions.http_request) as result;
_34end;
_34$$;
_34
_34create or replace function delete_avatar(avatar_url text, out status int, out content text)
_34returns record
_34language 'plpgsql'
_34security definer
_34as $$
_34begin
_34  select
_34      into status, content
_34           result.status, result.content
_34      from public.delete_storage_object('avatars', avatar_url) as result;
_34end;
_34$$;

Next, add a trigger that removes any obsolete avatar whenever the profile is updated or deleted:


_32create or replace function delete_old_avatar()
_32returns trigger
_32language 'plpgsql'
_32security definer
_32as $$
_32declare
_32  status int;
_32  content text;
_32  avatar_name text;
_32begin
_32  if coalesce(old.avatar_url, '') <> ''
_32      and (tg_op = 'DELETE' or (old.avatar_url <> new.avatar_url)) then
_32    -- extract avatar name
_32    avatar_name := old.avatar_url;
_32    select
_32      into status, content
_32      result.status, result.content
_32      from public.delete_avatar(avatar_name) as result;
_32    if status <> 200 then
_32      raise warning 'Could not delete avatar: % %', status, content;
_32    end if;
_32  end if;
_32  if tg_op = 'DELETE' then
_32    return old;
_32  end if;
_32  return new;
_32end;
_32$$;
_32
_32create trigger before_profile_changes
_32  before update of avatar_url or delete on public.profiles
_32  for each row execute function public.delete_old_avatar();

Finally, delete the public.profile row before a user is deleted. If this step is omitted, you won't be able to delete users without first manually deleting their avatar image.


_14create or replace function delete_old_profile()
_14returns trigger
_14language 'plpgsql'
_14security definer
_14as $$
_14begin
_14  delete from public.profiles where id = old.id;
_14  return old;
_14end;
_14$$;
_14
_14create trigger before_delete_user
_14  before delete on auth.users
_14  for each row execute function public.delete_old_profile();

At this stage you have a fully functional application!

Build a User Management App with Next.js

Project setup#

Create a project#

Set up the database schema#

Get the API Keys#

Building the App#

Initialize a Next.js app#

Supabase Auth Helpers#

Next.js Middleware#

Supabase Auth UI#

Proof Key for Code Exchange (PKCE)#

Sign out#

Account page#

Launch!#

Bonus: Profile photos#

Create an upload widget#

Add the new widget#

Storage management#

See also#

Build a User Management App with Next.js

Project setup#

Create a project#

Set up the database schema#

Get the API Keys#

Building the App#

Initialize a Next.js app#

Supabase Auth Helpers#

Next.js Middleware#

Set up a Login component#

Supabase Auth UI#

Proof Key for Code Exchange (PKCE)#

Sign out#

Account page#

Launch!#

Bonus: Profile photos#

Create an upload widget#

Add the new widget#

Storage management#

See also#