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Build an AI tools directory by modeling listings and their publication states first, then adding a searchable Next.js App Router interface backed by Supabase Postgres. The key architectural decisions are to keep public access limited to published listings, use separate Supabase clients for browser and server contexts, and secure every submission or moderation action on the server.
Plan the directory before writing code
Decide what qualifies as a listing, who can submit one, who approves it, and how changes are reviewed. These are product choices—not requirements imposed by Next.js or Supabase—and they determine the schema and access rules.
Choose the listing fields and workflow
A practical starting record can include a name, unique slug, short description, category, tags, pricing label, canonical website URL, submitter, and publication status. Add fields only when they support discovery, moderation, or maintenance. For example, a directory that distinguishes free, freemium, and paid tools needs a pricing label; one that does not promise pricing accuracy may choose not to display it.
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Map roles to permitted operations
- Visitors: read published listing fields.
- Signed-in submitters: create submissions and, if the product allows it, update their own records.
- Moderators: review submissions and change publication status.
- Administrators: manage roles and other privileged settings.
Give each role only the database operations it needs. Supabase’s Next.js quickstart demonstrates a public select grant and a row-level security (RLS) policy for a sample table, but warns that its example policies are not production policies for real user data. Adapt the pattern to your ownership and review workflow rather than copying it as a complete authorization design: Supabase’s Next.js quickstart.
Scaffold the Next.js and Supabase app
Supabase’s documented Next.js quickstart currently uses a starter configured for cookie-based authentication, TypeScript, and Tailwind CSS. From a terminal, create the app with:
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npx create-next-app@latest my-app -e with-supabaseThe template includes @supabase/supabase-js and @supabase/ssr, plus utilities for creating browser and server clients. Follow the quickstart for the current environment-variable names and setup steps, and put the project URL and publishable key in environment configuration rather than committing credentials to source control. Do not expose server-only secrets to browser code.
The App Router organizes routes and UI through the app directory and uses React Server Components, with Client Components where browser interactivity is needed. Listing pages can generally render on the server; interactive filters or controls can be isolated into client-side components. See the Next.js App Router documentation.
Connect Supabase in the right execution context
Use the browser Supabase client in Client Components and the server client in Server Components, Server Actions, and Route Handlers. The SSR integration stores session information in cookies, and the client context matters because Server Components cannot write cookies.
Supabase’s current guide uses proxy.ts with Next.js 16 to refresh expired authentication tokens; for Next.js 15 and earlier, its guidance uses middleware.ts. Check the version actually installed in your project before copying file names or conventions. The guide covers the separate client utilities and cookie handling: Supabase SSR client setup for Next.js.
Build the catalog pages and discovery features
Start with a public listing route
Use a route such as /tools for the catalog and a slug route such as /tools/[slug] for a listing’s detail page. Query only records whose status is published, and select only fields intended for public display. A filtered query is not a substitute for database access controls: enforce public-read rules in Supabase as well as in the page’s query.
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Add filters that match the data
Begin with category, tags, pricing label, or supported use case if those fields exist and are maintained consistently. Make filter state shareable through query parameters when it helps readers return to or share a result set. Choose text search based on catalog size and user needs; the stack does not prescribe a specific search engine or ranking method. Do not describe results as AI-ranked unless you have deliberately implemented and evaluated that feature.
Handle empty, missing, and stale data
- Show a useful empty state when no published tools match the filters.
- Return a not-found response for an unknown slug rather than exposing unpublished records.
- Decide how the directory handles broken URLs, changed product names, and duplicate submissions.
- Keep category and pricing labels controlled enough to avoid near-duplicates that fragment filters.
Secure submissions and moderation
Use server-side mutations with explicit checks
Server Actions work well for forms such as submitting a tool, editing an owned listing, or changing a moderation status. They are not private merely because a button or page is hidden: Next.js documents that Server Actions can be invoked through direct POST requests. Treat each action as a public-facing entry point. As the Next.js authentication guide puts it: “Treat Server Actions with the same security considerations as public-facing API endpoints, and verify if the user is allowed to perform a mutation.”
For every mutation, validate the input, authenticate the caller, authorize the specific operation, and verify resource ownership or moderator privileges where applicable. Do not trust a client-supplied owner ID or role. Apply the same discipline to Route Handlers. Next.js explains these checks and the value of isolating server-side data access in its guides to mutating data, authentication, and data security.
Validate directory-specific input
Validate slugs, URLs, descriptions, tags, and category values on the server. Normalize values where appropriate, enforce reasonable length and format limits, and reject fields the caller is not allowed to set. For example, a submitter can propose a listing but should not be able to set its status to published by including that value in a form submission. Use database privileges and RLS as an additional enforcement layer, not as a reason to skip authorization in the application.
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Deploy for the features the app actually uses
Choose hosting after identifying whether the directory needs dynamic server rendering, Server Actions, Route Handlers, authentication refresh, or other runtime behavior. The Next.js deployment guide lists Node.js server and Docker deployments as supporting all features, while static export has limited feature support; adapter support varies. Vercel appears on its verified-adapter list, which is not by itself a price or performance comparison. Check the current feature matrix and your platform’s requirements before committing: Next.js deployment options.
A directory that truly serves only static pages may fit a static deployment, but a build that depends on runtime authentication or mutations needs a compatible server environment. Configure Supabase connection values through the deployment platform’s environment settings, and verify that preview and production environments point to the intended Supabase project.
Quick Recap
Launch checklist
- Published pages query only public listing fields and published records.
- Database grants and RLS policies match visitor, submitter, moderator, and administrator capabilities.
- Every Server Action and Route Handler validates input and checks identity, authorization, and ownership.
- Supabase browser and server clients are used in their intended contexts, with the proxy or middleware convention matching the installed Next.js version.
- Search and filters reflect fields the directory can maintain accurately.
- The hosting mode supports the app’s actual runtime features, and credentials are configured outside source control.
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