How to Limit Who Can Access My App
Limit app access by implementing authentication (login required), authorization (role-based permissions), or access gating (invite codes, allowlists). The right approach depends on whether you want to restrict who can enter your app, or what they can do once inside.
Why this matters
Not every user should have the same access. Some features might be admin-only, some content might be for paying users, and some pages might need to stay private during development. Access control gives you this granularity.
What's at stake
Without proper access limits, any authenticated user can access everything. This means a free user could see premium features, or a regular user could access admin controls.
Step by step.
Add authentication (who can enter)
Implement a login system so only users with accounts can access your app. Use Supabase Auth, Clerk, or another provider. This is the first layer — it controls who gets in the door.
Define user roles (what they can do)
Create roles like "admin", "editor", and "viewer". Store the role in your user profile. Each role has different permissions — for example, only admins can delete content, editors can create and edit, and viewers can only read.
Implement authorization checks
On every protected page or action, check the user's role before granting access. In Supabase, use RLS policies that check the user's role from their JWT claims. In your frontend, conditionally render UI based on roles.
Protect API routes
Frontend-only checks are not enough — users can bypass them by calling your API directly. Always verify permissions on the server side (in API routes or Edge Functions) before performing actions.
Test with different user types
Create test accounts for each role and verify that each can only access what they should. Try accessing admin pages as a viewer. Try modifying data as a read-only user. Fix any gaps.
Define clear access boundaries for your app
- Role-based access verification for your app
- Pre-launch access control audit
- Guidance on implementing proper authorization patterns
Frequently asked questions.
Authentication verifies who the user is (login). Authorization determines what the user can do (permissions). You need both — authentication alone means everyone who logs in has the same access level.
Add a "role" column to your user profiles table. Set it during account creation (default to "viewer"). Then create RLS policies that check the role — for example, only allow DELETE operations when the user's role is "admin".
Yes, for simple cases. You can use password protection (one shared password for all users), IP allowlisting (restrict to specific networks), or link-based access (unique URLs that expire). But for any serious access control, user accounts are necessary.
No. Hiding a button in the UI does not prevent someone from calling the API directly. Always enforce access control on the server side. Frontend checks are for user experience; server checks are for security.