Supabase and uniGUI ? To ChatGPT , is a good match...

[Fred Montier]

Exploring Supabase and the Firedac power really got my attention recently

Using Supabase with uniGUI is actually a very good architecture for modern Delphi web apps, but the best approach depends on how much you want Supabase to do. Supabase can act as:

• Database (PostgreSQL)

• Authentication server

• Storage

• Realtime API

• REST API

• Edge Functions

uniGUI is server-side Delphi, so you normally don't want the browser calling Supabase directly. The best practice is to let uniGUI be the backend gateway.

Below are the 3 architectures I recommend, from simplest to most scalable.

---

1️⃣ Direct PostgreSQL connection (Best for internal systems)

Since Supabase is just managed PostgreSQL, the simplest solution is:

 

uniGUI (Delphi)
│
│ FireDAC
│
Supabase PostgreSQL

 

Implementation

Use FireDAC PostgreSQL driver to connect directly.

Example:

 

FDConnection1.DriverName := 'PG';
FDConnection1.Params.Values['Server'] := 'db.supabase-project.supabase.co';
FDConnection1.Params.Values['Database'] := 'postgres';
FDConnection1.Params.Values['User_Name'] := 'postgres';
FDConnection1.Params.Values['Password'] := 'your-password';
FDConnection1.Connected := True;

 

Advantages

✔ fastest
✔ simplest
✔ no REST overhead
✔ full SQL control

Disadvantages

⚠ requires opening DB connection from server
⚠ bypasses Supabase auth and policies

💡 Best for:

• internal systems

• dashboards

• admin tools

---

2️⃣ Use Supabase REST API (Best for SaaS / public apps)

Supabase automatically exposes tables via PostgREST.

 

Browser
│
uniGUI server
│
HTTP REST
│
Supabase API
│
PostgreSQL

 

Delphi calls the API using TNetHTTPClient.

Example:

 

var
Http: TNetHTTPClient;
Resp: IHTTPResponse;
begin
Http := TNetHTTPClient.Create(nil);

Http.CustomHeaders['apikey'] := 'SUPABASE_ANON_KEY';

Resp := Http.Get(
'https://project.supabase.co/rest/v1/users'
);

Memo1.Lines.Text := Resp.ContentAsString;
end;

 

Advantages

✔ respects Supabase Row Level Security
✔ good for multi-tenant SaaS
✔ no direct DB exposure
✔ easy to scale

Disadvantages

⚠ slower than SQL
⚠ JSON parsing required

---

3️⃣ Hybrid (My recommended architecture)

This is what I normally recommend:

 

Browser
│
uniGUI
│
FireDAC (SQL)
│
Supabase PostgreSQL
│
Supabase services
├ Auth
├ Storage
└ Realtime

 

Use:

Feature	Method
Database	FireDAC
Auth	Supabase Auth API
Files	Supabase Storage
Realtime	Supabase Realtime

This way:

• SQL remains fast

• you still benefit from Supabase services

---

4️⃣ Supabase Authentication with uniGUI

Let Supabase handle login.

Flow:

 

User → uniGUI login form
↓
uniGUI calls Supabase Auth API
↓
JWT token returned
↓
Store token in UniSession

 

Example request:

 

POST https://project.supabase.co/auth/v1/token

 

Body:

 

{
"email": "user@email.com",
"password": "123456"
}

 

---

5️⃣ Storage (great for uniGUI)

Instead of storing files locally, use:

Supabase Storage

Example upload:

 

POST /storage/v1/object/mybucket/file.pdf

 

Benefits:

✔ CDN
✔ scalable
✔ secure

---

6️⃣ Realtime (very interesting with uniGUI)

Supabase uses:

Phoenix Channels over WebSockets.

You can integrate realtime events into uniGUI for:

• chat

• notifications

• live dashboards

• collaborative editing

---

7️⃣ My recommended stack for uniGUI

If I were building a modern uniGUI SaaS today:

 

Frontend
uniGUI

Backend
Delphi / FireDAC

Database
Supabase PostgreSQL

Services
Supabase Auth
Supabase Storage
Supabase Realtime

 

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8️⃣ Pro tip (very important)

Disable public API access if you use SQL directly.

Instead use:

• service role key

• server side only

Never expose Supabase keys to browser.

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💡 My honest opinion

Supabase + uniGUI is one of the best combinations today because:

• PostgreSQL is extremely powerful

• Supabase replaces Firebase

• Delphi remains extremely productive