India’s Block on Supabase Disrupts Developer Community
Supabase, a widely-used open-source backend platform, has encountered significant access issues in India, a crucial market for the company. On February 24, 2026, the Indian government issued a directive under Section 69A of the Information Technology Act, instructing internet service providers (ISPs) to block access to Supabase’s domain, supabase.co. This action has led to inconsistent availability of the platform across various networks, including major ISPs such as Reliance Jio, Airtel, and ACT Fibernet.
The government’s order did not specify the reasons behind the blockade, leaving the developer community and Supabase users in a state of uncertainty. Section 69A empowers the government to restrict public access to online content for reasons related to sovereignty, security, or public order. However, without a clear explanation, stakeholders are left speculating about the motivations behind this move.
Supabase has acknowledged the access issues through social media channels, noting that while their infrastructure remains fully operational, users in India are experiencing disruptions. The company has reached out to India’s Minister for Electronics and Information Technology, Ashwini Vaishnaw, seeking intervention to restore access. In a public post, Supabase stated:
> We have recently become aware that the domain http://supabase.co is inaccessible to users across multiple Indian ISPs, including Jio, Airtel, and ACT Fibernet, due to a ministry order.
The impact of this blockade is profound, especially considering India’s significant contribution to Supabase’s global traffic. According to data from Similarweb, India accounts for approximately 9% of Supabase’s global visits, making it the platform’s fourth-largest source of traffic. In January alone, visits from India surged by roughly 179% to about 365,000, underscoring the platform’s growing popularity among Indian developers.
For the Indian developer community, this disruption poses substantial challenges. Supabase offers a suite of backend services, including hosted PostgreSQL databases, authentication, storage, and real-time capabilities, all accessible through a straightforward API. Many independent developers and small teams rely on Supabase to expedite the development process, reduce costs, and minimize the need for extensive DevOps expertise. The sudden inaccessibility of the platform hampers ongoing projects and could delay the deployment of new applications.
In response to the blockade, some developers have explored workarounds such as changing DNS settings or using Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) to bypass local restrictions. However, these solutions are not always practical for end-users and can introduce additional complexities. Recognizing this, a community-driven initiative called JioBase has emerged to provide a more seamless solution. JioBase acts as a reverse proxy, routing Supabase API traffic through Cloudflare’s global edge network, thereby circumventing the DNS blocks imposed by Indian ISPs. This approach requires minimal changes to existing codebases and does not necessitate any action from end-users.
The broader implications of this incident have sparked discussions about internet governance and the transparency of content restriction mechanisms in India. The lack of a publicly stated reason for the blockade raises concerns about the predictability and reliability of internet services, especially for developers and businesses that depend on global platforms. This is not the first instance of such actions; in 2014, the Indian government briefly restricted access to developer platforms like GitHub, Vimeo, and Pastebin during a security probe. These recurring incidents highlight the need for clear communication and due process when implementing content restrictions that affect large user bases.
Supabase, founded in 2020 by CEO Paul Copplestone and CTO Ant Wilson, has rapidly gained traction as an open-source alternative to Firebase, built on PostgreSQL. The startup has raised approximately $380 million across three funding rounds since September 2024, elevating its valuation to $5 billion. The current blockade in India represents a significant challenge for the company’s growth trajectory in one of its key markets.
As of now, neither the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology nor the involved ISPs have provided official statements regarding the blockade. The developer community, both in India and globally, continues to monitor the situation closely, hoping for a resolution that restores access to Supabase and ensures the stability of essential development tools.
