Supabase Auth: Effortlessly Display User Display Names

Welcome to the World of Supabase Authentication

Hey there, fellow developers! Have you ever found yourself building an awesome application and thinking, “Man, I really need a smooth way for my users to identify themselves, not just by some cryptic ID, but with a friendly display name?” Well, you’re in luck because today we’re diving deep into the world of Supabase Authentication and exploring how you can effortlessly display user display names . Supabase is an incredible open-source Firebase alternative that provides a full suite of backend services, including a powerful PostgreSQL database, real-time subscriptions, storage, and, of course, robust authentication. When we talk about user experience, a personalized touch like a display name goes a long way. It makes your application feel more human, more engaging, and generally, just better. Forget generic “User 12345” – let’s give our users a voice, or at least a name! Many developers often wonder how to best manage this crucial piece of user data within Supabase’s auth system, which by default provides basic user information like email and ID. However, the true power lies in extending this default setup to include richer, more custom user profiles. We’re going to walk through the exact steps, from understanding where this data lives, to setting it up, populating it, and finally, fetching and displaying it in your applications. This isn’t just about technical implementation; it’s about crafting a better user experience through thoughtful data management. We’ll cover everything from database schema design to Row Level Security (RLS) policies, ensuring your user data is not only accessible but also secure. So grab your favorite beverage, get comfy, and let’s unravel the magic of user display names in Supabase. You’ll be displaying personalized greetings to your users in no time, making them feel right at home in your app.

Understanding Supabase User Profiles and Display Names

Alright, guys, let’s get down to the brass tacks: where exactly do these user display names fit into the Supabase ecosystem? When a user signs up using Supabase Auth, their core information – like id , email , created_at , and a few other crucial fields – is stored in the auth.users table. This table is super important; it’s the backbone of your authentication system. However, you’ll quickly notice that there isn’t a direct display_name column in the default auth.users table. This is by design! Supabase keeps the core auth.users table lean and focused purely on authentication specifics. For any additional, custom user-related data – like a display name, an avatar URL, a bio, or preferences – Supabase provides a fantastic solution: the user_metadata field within the auth.users table, and more importantly, the recommendation to create a separate, dedicated profiles table. The user_metadata field is a JSONB column, which is incredibly flexible. You can store key-value pairs directly in it, meaning you could technically put a display_name there. For example, when you sign up a user, you might pass { user_metadata: { display_name: 'Jane Doe' } } . This works for very simple use cases. However, for anything beyond the most basic needs, and especially if you plan to query or filter users by their display name, or if you want to allow users to update their profile without messing with sensitive authentication data, a separate profiles table linked by user_id is the industry-standard best practice . A profiles table gives you the flexibility to define specific columns, apply more granular Row Level Security (RLS) policies, and optimize your database queries. Imagine trying to fetch all users with a specific display name if that data is nested deep within a JSONB column; it’s much less efficient than querying a dedicated display_name column in a profiles table. This approach also cleanly separates your authentication concerns from your user profile concerns, making your application architecture more robust and easier to maintain. We’ll be focusing on this profiles table approach because it offers the most scalability, security, and flexibility for managing rich user data, including that all-important display name . Think of it as your user’s public-facing identity, distinct from their private authentication credentials. Getting this fundamental understanding right is the first big step towards flawlessly integrating display names into your Supabase-powered application.

Setting Up Your Supabase Project for Display Names

Now that we understand why a separate profiles table is the way to go for managing user display names , let’s roll up our sleeves and get our Supabase project configured. This is where we lay the groundwork, guys, so pay close attention. A well-structured database is the backbone of any scalable application, and Supabase makes this remarkably straightforward thanks to its PostgreSQL foundation. The process involves two main steps: defining the profiles table schema and setting up robust Row Level Security (RLS) policies to ensure data integrity and privacy. We’ll also briefly touch on how to automate profile creation for new users, which is a fantastic quality-of-life improvement.

Initial Supabase Configuration

Before we dive into table creation, ensure you have a Supabase project set up. If you haven’t already, head over to supabase.com , create an account, and start a new project. Once your project is live, you’ll have access to your project’s dashboard, where you can find your API keys and manage your database. These keys, specifically the anon public key and the service_role secret key, will be essential for interacting with your Supabase backend from your application. For client-side operations (like fetching a user’s own display name), you’ll typically use the anon key. The service_role key should never be exposed client-side as it bypasses all RLS and can do anything. With your project ready, let’s define our profile structure.

Implementing a profiles Table

Our profiles table will serve as the central repository for all our user’s public-facing and custom data. Here’s a typical schema that works beautifully for display names and other common profile attributes:

create table profiles (
  id uuid references auth.users on delete cascade primary key,
  updated_at timestamp with time zone default now(),
  username text unique,
  full_name text,
  avatar_url text,
  website text,
  -- Add a dedicated column for the display name
  display_name text,

  constraint username_length check (char_length(username) >= 3)
);

-- Set up Row Level Security (RLS)
alter table profiles enable row level security;

-- Allow users to view their own profile
create policy "Users can view their own profile." on profiles
  for select using (auth.uid() = id);

-- Allow users to insert their own profile
create policy "Users can insert their own profile." on profiles
  for insert with check (auth.uid() = id);

-- Allow users to update their own profile
create policy "Users can update their own profile." on profiles
  for update using (auth.uid() = id);

-- Optional: allow public read of some profile fields (e.g., display_name, avatar_url)
-- Be careful with this! Only expose what's truly public.
create policy "Public profiles are viewable by everyone." on profiles
  for select using (true);

-- Set up Storage rules for avatars if you use them
-- This is beyond the scope of display names, but good practice.
-- (e.g., allow authenticated users to upload their own avatar)

-- Create a trigger to automatically create a profile entry for new users
create function public.handle_new_user() 
returns trigger as $$
begin
  insert into public.profiles (id, full_name, display_name)
  values (new.id, new.raw_user_meta_data->>'full_name', new.raw_user_meta_data->>'display_name');
  return new;
end;
$$ language plpgsql security definer;

create trigger on_auth_user_created
  after insert on auth.users
  for each row execute procedure public.handle_new_user();

Let’s break this down: We’re creating a profiles table where the id column is a uuid that references auth.users and is also its primary key. This on delete cascade ensures that if a user is deleted from auth.users , their profile is also automatically removed. Crucially, we’ve added a display_name column of type text . This will be our primary field for storing and fetching the user’s chosen public name. We also include username , full_name , and avatar_url as common additions. The handle_new_user function and trigger are super important . This trigger will automatically create a corresponding profiles entry whenever a new user successfully signs up in auth.users . It attempts to pull full_name and display_name from raw_user_meta_data , which you can optionally pass during sign-up, or you can have these fields updated later. This automation ensures every user starts with a profile. Finally, the Row Level Security (RLS) policies are paramount. enable row level security turns on this powerful feature. We then create policies that allow users to select , insert , and update only their own profile record, enforced by auth.uid() = id . There’s also an optional policy for Public profiles are viewable by everyone. which you might use if you want anyone to be able to see a user’s display_name (e.g., on a public post). Be cautious with true policies; they expose data publicly. For most applications, allowing public read for specific columns or authenticated users to read all profiles (after selecting which columns are visible) is more common. This robust setup ensures that your user display names are managed securely and efficiently from the get-go.

Populating and Updating User Display Names

Alright, team, we’ve got our profiles table all set up, complete with RLS and an automated trigger. Now, the next crucial step is making sure those user display names actually get into the database and that users can update them. This part bridges the gap between your frontend application and your Supabase backend. We’ll look at how to populate the display name during the initial sign-up process and then how to allow users to modify it later through an