India disrupts access to popular developer platform Supabase with blocking order

Source: TechCrunch

Blocking order

Supabase, a popular developer database platform, has been blocked in India. New Delhi ordered internet providers to block its website, resulting in patchy access across networks. The blocking order was issued on February 24 under Section 69A of India’s Information Technology Act, which empowers the government to restrict public access to online content.

The Indian government did not publicly cite a reason for the move, and it was unclear whether the action was linked to a cybersecurity concern, copyright complaint, or another issue. The duration of the restrictions was also not specified.

Impact on users

Access to Supabase has been inconsistent in India over the past several days. The San Francisco‑based company acknowledged the issue in posts on social media starting Wednesday. While the restrictions were first reported on Reliance Industries’ JioFiber network, users have flagged similar problems across multiple internet providers and telecom networks.

• Supabase tagged India’s IT minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, asking for intervention, but later removed the message and confirmed that the site remained blocked for many users.
• An Indian founder (anonymous) said they had stopped seeing new user sign‑ups from India over the past two to three days.
• A technology consultant working with local startups reported being unable to reliably access Supabase for both development and production purposes.

Supabase suggested workarounds such as switching DNS settings or using a VPN, but the founder noted that such steps were not practical for most end users.

Verification of blockage

At the time of publication, TechCrunch verified that supabase.co remained inaccessible on ACT Fibernet, JioFiber, and Airtel connections in New Delhi. However, two users on ACT Fibernet in Bengaluru reported still being able to access the service, suggesting uneven implementation of the restrictions.

Screenshot showing Supabase’s access blocked on ACT Fibernet
Image credit: Screenshot / Jagmeet Singh / TechCrunch

Notably, Supabase’s main website remained accessible in India, but its underlying developer infrastructure did not.

Supabase’s traffic in India

• India is Supabase’s fourth‑largest source of traffic, accounting for about 9 % of global visits (SimilarWeb).
• Global traffic jumped more than 111 % year‑over‑year to about 4.2 million visits in January.
• In India, visits rose roughly 179 % to about 365 000, compared with a 168.5 % increase in the U.S. to about 627 000.

Broader context of website blocking in India

The incident highlights broader concerns about India’s website‑blocking regime. Raman Jit Singh Chima, Asia Pacific policy director at Access Now, said:

“This is a simple fact that has grave consequences for developers and others. You don’t know where you can safely run projects without the danger that something might happen where it gets blocked, and suddenly you’re scrambling to find a way.”

India has previously faced criticism over broad website‑blocking measures:

• In 2014, authorities briefly restricted access to developer platform GitHub, along with services such as Vimeo, Pastebin, and Weebly, during a security probe.
• Users on some Indian networks in 2023 reported that a key GitHub content domain had been blocked by certain ISPs.

Background on Supabase

Supabase was founded in 2020 by CEO Paul Copplestone and CTO Ant Wilson. It positions itself as an open‑source alternative to Firebase built on PostgreSQL. The startup has gained traction amid rising interest in “vibe coding” tools and AI‑driven app development, and has raised about $380 million across three funding rounds since September 2024, lifting its valuation to $5 billion.

India’s Ministry of Electronics and IT, as well as telecom providers including ACT Fibernet, Bharti Airtel, and Reliance Jio, did not respond to requests for comment. Copplestone and Wilson also did not respond.