Add a backend to a Vite React app with one command
A single-page app needs a backend it can call straight from the browser, with the rules enforced on the server. One command sets that up: database, auth, storage and realtime, with the public keys in .env.local and a client in src/lib.
$ npx scribase init
Backend ready: https://acme-my-app-production-c2b0ea0a.scribase.com
framework vite
project acme/my-app (production)
env file .env.local (VITE_SUPABASE_URL, VITE_SUPABASE_ANON_KEY, SCRIBASE_API_URL, SCRIBASE_ORG, SCRIBASE_PROJECT, SCRIBASE_ENV)
client src/lib/supabase.ts
Next:
- import { supabase } from './src/lib/supabase' and query: await supabase.from('todos').select()
- create tables with SQL migrations (supabase/migrations/*.sql) and `scribase db push`, or the MCP server1.Run init
Run it in the project root. If you are not signed in, it prints a link and a code: approve it in the browser (sign up takes one click plus the $1 card check, credited back), and init carries on. No key is ever pasted. It creates the project, writes the env file, adds the env file to .gitignore, installs @supabase/supabase-js and writes a small client module.
npx scribase init2.What it wrote
Vite exposes VITE_ variables to browser code as import.meta.env. The service role key is never written for Vite projects, because everything a Vite app reads ends up in the bundle.
# Scribase (written by `npx scribase init`)
VITE_SUPABASE_URL=https://acme-my-app-production-c2b0ea0a.scribase.com
VITE_SUPABASE_ANON_KEY=<publishable key>
SCRIBASE_API_URL=https://api.scribase.com
SCRIBASE_ORG=acme
SCRIBASE_PROJECT=my-app
SCRIBASE_ENV=production3.Create your first table
Open your project in the console, go to Editor, then SQL, and run this. Or ask your coding agent: with the Scribase MCP server connected it applies the same SQL as a migration. Row-level security is on, so the public key can only read what the policy allows.
create table public.todos (
id bigint generated always as identity primary key,
title text not null,
done boolean not null default false,
created_at timestamptz not null default now()
);
alter table public.todos enable row level security;
create policy "todos are readable" on public.todos
for select to anon, authenticated using (true);
insert into public.todos (title) values ('Ship the backend'), ('Tell a friend');4.Use it in a component
Restart `npm run dev` once so Vite loads .env.local.
import { useEffect, useState } from 'react';
import { supabase } from './lib/supabase';
type Todo = { id: number; title: string };
export default function App() {
const [todos, setTodos] = useState<Todo[]>([]);
useEffect(() => {
supabase.from('todos').select('id, title').then(({ data }) => setTodos(data ?? []));
}, []);
return <ul>{todos.map((t) => <li key={t.id}>{t.title}</li>)}</ul>;
}Paste this into Claude Code, Cursor or Codex
The agent runs init, asks you to approve once in the browser, creates the table and wires up the first screen.
Add a Scribase backend to this Vite + React app.
1. Run `npx scribase init --yes --json` in the project root. If it returns authorization_pending, show me the link and code, wait for me to approve, then run it again.
2. Create a `todos` table (id, title, done, created_at) with row-level security on and a policy that lets anyone read it; use the Scribase MCP server or a SQL migration, not the service-role key in app code.
3. Render the todos in src/App.tsx with the client in src/lib/supabase.ts.
4. Never print, log or commit the env file; it is already in .gitignore.Connect the MCP server first so the agent can run SQL safely: connect your agent.
Common questions
Where do secrets go if everything is in the browser?
Nowhere in the app. Anything privileged runs as a policy in the database or in an edge function; the browser only ever holds the publishable key.
Does it work with Vite + Vue, Solid or Preact?
Yes. Detection only looks for Vite, so the env file and client are the same; only the component code differs.
Your Vite + React backend, live in a minute
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