# Build a User Management App with Ionic Vue

Learn how to use Supabase in your Ionic Vue App.

This tutorial demonstrates how to build a basic user management app. The app authenticates and identifies the user, stores their profile information in the database, and allows the user to log in, update their profile details, and upload a profile photo. The app uses:

- [Supabase Database](/docs/guides/database/overview) - a Postgres database for storing your user data and [Row Level Security](/docs/guides/auth#row-level-security) so data is protected and users can only access their own information.
- [Supabase Auth](/docs/guides/auth) - allow users to sign up and log in.
- [Supabase Storage](/docs/guides/storage) - allow users to upload a profile photo.

![Supabase User Management example](/docs/img/ionic-demos/ionic-angular-account.png)

Note: If you get stuck while working through this guide, refer to the [full example on GitHub](https://github.com/supabase/supabase/tree/master/examples/user-management/ionic-vue-user-management).

## Project setup

Before you start building you need to set up the Database and API. You can do this by starting a new Project in Supabase and then creating a "schema" inside the database.

### Create a project

1. [Create a new project](/dashboard) in the Supabase Dashboard.
2. Enter your project details.
3. Wait for the new database to launch.

### Set up the database schema

Now set up the database schema. You can use the "User Management Starter" quickstart in the SQL Editor, or you can copy/paste the SQL from below and run it.

**Dashboard**

1. Go to the [SQL Editor](/dashboard/project/_/sql) page in the Dashboard.
2. Click **User Management Starter** under the **Reference > Examples** tab.
3. Click **Run**.

Note: You can pull the database schema down to your local project by running the `db pull` command. Read the [local development docs](/docs/guides/local-development/database-migrations#link-your-project) for detailed instructions.

```bash
supabase link --project-ref <project-id>
# You can get <project-id> from your project's dashboard URL: /dashboard/project/<project-id>
supabase db pull
```

**SQL**

Note: When working locally you can run the following command to create a new migration file:

```bash
supabase migration new user_management_starter
```

```sql
-- Create a table for public profiles
create table profiles (
  id uuid references auth.users not null primary key,
  updated_at timestamp with time zone,
  username text unique,
  full_name text,
  avatar_url text,
  website text,

  constraint username_length check (char_length(username) >= 3)
);

-- Grant the privileges roles need
GRANT SELECT ON public.profiles TO anon;
GRANT SELECT, INSERT, UPDATE ON public.profiles TO authenticated;

-- Set up Row Level Security (RLS)
-- See /docs/guides/database/postgres/row-level-security for more details.
alter table profiles
  enable row level security;

create policy "Public profiles are viewable by everyone." on profiles
  for select using (true);

create policy "Users can insert their own profile." on profiles
  for insert with check ((select auth.uid()) = id);

create policy "Users can update own profile." on profiles
  for update using ((select auth.uid()) = id);

-- This trigger automatically creates a profile entry when a new user signs up via Supabase Auth.
-- See /docs/guides/auth/managing-user-data#using-triggers for more details.
create function public.handle_new_user()
returns trigger
set search_path = ''
as $$
begin
  insert into public.profiles (id, full_name, avatar_url)
  values (new.id, new.raw_user_meta_data->>'full_name', new.raw_user_meta_data->>'avatar_url');
  return new;
end;
$$ language plpgsql security definer;
create trigger on_auth_user_created
  after insert on auth.users
  for each row execute procedure public.handle_new_user();

-- Set up Storage!
insert into storage.buckets (id, name)
  values ('avatars', 'avatars');

-- Set up access controls for storage. Allows downloading object with public key
-- See /docs/guides/storage/security/access-control#policy-examples for more details.
create policy "Avatar images are publicly accessible." on storage.objects
  for select using (bucket_id = 'avatars' and storage.allow_any_operation(array['object.get_authenticated_info', 'object.get_authenticated']));

create policy "Anyone can upload an avatar." on storage.objects
  for insert with check (bucket_id = 'avatars');

create policy "Anyone can update their own avatar." on storage.objects
  for update using ((select auth.uid()) = owner) with check (bucket_id = 'avatars');
```

### Get API details

To interact with data in database tables, you use the client libraries that wrap [the auto-generated Data API endpoints](/docs/guides/api), authenticating using the Project URL and key from [the project **Connect** dialog](/dashboard/project/_?showConnect=true\&connectTab=frameworks\&framework=vuejs).





Note: See [API keys](/docs/guides/getting-started/api-keys) for a full explanation of all key types, their uses, and where to find them.

## Building the app

Start by building the Vue app from scratch.

### Initialize an Ionic Vue app

Use the [Ionic CLI](https://ionicframework.com/docs/cli) to initialize an app called `supabase-ionic-vue`:

```bash
npm install -g @ionic/cli
ionic start supabase-ionic-vue blank --type vue
cd supabase-ionic-vue
```

Install the only additional dependency: [supabase-js](https://github.com/supabase/supabase-js)

```bash
npm install @supabase/supabase-js
```

Save the environment variables in a `.env` file, including the API URL and key that you copied [earlier](#get-api-details).

```bash name=.env
VUE_APP_SUPABASE_URL=YOUR_SUPABASE_URL
VUE_APP_SUPABASE_KEY=YOUR_SUPABASE_KEY
```

With the API credentials in place, create a helper file to initialize the Supabase client. These variables will be exposed on the browser, and that's fine since Supabase enables [Row Level Security](/docs/guides/auth#row-level-security) on Databases by default.



### Set up a sign-in route

Create a Vue component to manage sign-ins and sign-ups that uses Magic Links, so users can sign in with their email without using passwords.



### Account page

After a user has signed in, let them edit their profile details and manage their account with a new component called `Account.vue`.



### Launch!

With all the components in place, update `App.vue` and the app routes:

The Supabase Auth SDK contains three different functions for authenticating user access to applications:

### Summary of the methods

- Use [`getClaims`](/docs/reference/javascript/auth-getclaims) to protect pages and user data. It reads the access token from storage and verifies it. Locally via the [WebCrypto API](https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/API/Web_Crypto_API) and a cached JWKS endpoint when the project uses asymmetric signing keys (the default for new projects), or by calling `getUser` solely to validate when symmetric keys are in use. The returned claims always come from decoding the JWT, not from a user lookup. When the access token is close to expiring, `getClaims` refreshes the session before it verifies, which is how a server-rendered session stays alive.
- [`getUser`](/docs/reference/javascript/auth-getuser) makes a network call to the project's Auth instance to get the user record, which includes the most up-to-date information about the user at the cost of a network call.
- [`getSession`](/docs/reference/javascript/auth-getsession) when you need the raw session (the access token, refresh token, and expiry). For example to forward the access token to another service. The session is loaded directly from local storage and isn't re-validated against the Auth server, so the embedded user object shouldn't be trusted on its own when storage is shared with the client (cookies, request headers). To verify identity, validate the access token with `getClaims`, or call `getUser` for a fresh, server-confirmed user record.

**In summary**: use `getClaims` to verify identity (typically for protecting pages and data), `getUser` when you need an up-to-date user record from the Auth server, and `getSession` when you need the access or refresh token directly, but don't rely on the user object it returns for authorization decisions.





Once that's done, run this in a terminal window:

```bash
ionic serve
```

And then open the browser to [localhost:8100](http://localhost:8100) and you should see the completed app.

![Supabase Ionic Vue](/docs/img/ionic-demos/ionic-vue.png)

## Bonus: Profile photos

Every Supabase project is configured with [Storage](/docs/guides/storage) for managing large files like photos and videos.

### Create an upload widget

First install two packages to interact with the user's camera.

```bash
npm install @ionic/pwa-elements @capacitor/camera
```

[Capacitor](https://capacitorjs.com) is a cross-platform native runtime from Ionic that enables you to deploy web apps to app stores and provides access to native device API.

Ionic PWA elements is a companion package that polyfills certain browser APIs that provide no user interface with custom Ionic UI.

With those packages installed, update `main.ts` to include an additional bootstrapping call for the Ionic PWA Elements.



Then create an `AvatarComponent`.



### Add the new widget

And then add the widget to the Account page:



At this stage you have a fully functional application!