insforge-schema-patterns

name	insforge-schema-patterns
description	Database schema patterns for InsForge including social graphs, e-commerce, content publishing, and multi-tenancy with RLS policies. Use when designing data models with relationships, foreign keys, or Row Level Security.

InsForge Schema Patterns

Expert patterns for designing PostgreSQL schemas optimized for InsForge's PostgREST backend.

Pattern 1: Social Graph (Follows)

Use when: Building social features like Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn connections

Schema:

CREATE TABLE follows (
  id UUID PRIMARY KEY DEFAULT gen_random_uuid(),
  follower_id UUID REFERENCES users(id) ON DELETE CASCADE,
  following_id UUID REFERENCES users(id) ON DELETE CASCADE,
  created_at TIMESTAMPTZ DEFAULT NOW(),
  UNIQUE(follower_id, following_id)
);

-- Index for fast lookups
CREATE INDEX idx_follows_follower ON follows(follower_id);
CREATE INDEX idx_follows_following ON follows(following_id);

-- RLS: Users can read all follows but only create their own
ALTER TABLE follows ENABLE ROW LEVEL SECURITY;

CREATE POLICY "Anyone can read follows" ON follows
  FOR SELECT USING (true);

CREATE POLICY "Users can follow others" ON follows
  FOR INSERT
  TO authenticated
  WITH CHECK (uid() = follower_id);

CREATE POLICY "Users can unfollow" ON follows
  FOR DELETE
  TO authenticated
  USING (uid() = follower_id);

Query with InsForge SDK:

// Get users I follow with their profiles
const { data: following } = await client.database
  .from('follows')
  .select('*, following:following_id(id, nickname, avatar_url, bio)')
  .eq('follower_id', currentUserId);

// Get my followers
const { data: followers } = await client.database
  .from('follows')
  .select('*, follower:follower_id(id, nickname, avatar_url, bio)')
  .eq('following_id', currentUserId);

// Check if user1 follows user2
const { data: isFollowing } = await client.database
  .from('follows')
  .select()
  .eq('follower_id', user1Id)
  .eq('following_id', user2Id)
  .single();

// Follow a user
await client.database
  .from('follows')
  .insert([{ follower_id: currentUserId, following_id: targetUserId }]);

---

Pattern 2: Likes (Many-to-Many Junction Table)

Use when: Users can like posts, comments, or other content

Schema:

CREATE TABLE likes (
  id UUID PRIMARY KEY DEFAULT gen_random_uuid(),
  user_id UUID REFERENCES users(id) ON DELETE CASCADE,
  post_id UUID REFERENCES posts(id) ON DELETE CASCADE,
  created_at TIMESTAMPTZ DEFAULT NOW(),
  UNIQUE(user_id, post_id)  -- Prevent duplicate likes
);

CREATE INDEX idx_likes_post ON likes(post_id);
CREATE INDEX idx_likes_user ON likes(user_id);

ALTER TABLE likes ENABLE ROW LEVEL SECURITY;

CREATE POLICY "Anyone can read likes" ON likes
  FOR SELECT USING (true);

CREATE POLICY "Users can like posts" ON likes
  FOR INSERT
  TO authenticated
  WITH CHECK (uid() = user_id);

CREATE POLICY "Users can unlike their likes" ON likes
  FOR DELETE
  TO authenticated
  USING (uid() = user_id);

Query with InsForge SDK:

// Get post with like count and whether current user liked it
const { data: post } = await client.database
  .from('posts')
  .select(`
    *,
    likes(count),
    user_like:likes!inner(id, user_id)
  `)
  .eq('id', postId)
  .eq('user_like.user_id', currentUserId)
  .single();

// Like a post
await client.database
  .from('likes')
  .insert([{ user_id: currentUserId, post_id: postId }]);

// Unlike a post
await client.database
  .from('likes')
  .delete()
  .eq('user_id', currentUserId)
  .eq('post_id', postId);

---

Pattern 3: Nested Comments (Self-Referential)

Use when: Building comment threads, nested replies

Schema:

CREATE TABLE comments (
  id UUID PRIMARY KEY DEFAULT gen_random_uuid(),
  post_id UUID REFERENCES posts(id) ON DELETE CASCADE,
  user_id UUID REFERENCES users(id) ON DELETE CASCADE,
  parent_comment_id UUID REFERENCES comments(id) ON DELETE CASCADE,
  content TEXT NOT NULL,
  created_at TIMESTAMPTZ DEFAULT NOW(),
  updated_at TIMESTAMPTZ DEFAULT NOW()
);

CREATE INDEX idx_comments_post ON comments(post_id);
CREATE INDEX idx_comments_parent ON comments(parent_comment_id);

ALTER TABLE comments ENABLE ROW LEVEL SECURITY;

CREATE POLICY "Anyone can read comments" ON comments
  FOR SELECT USING (true);

CREATE POLICY "Authenticated users can comment" ON comments
  FOR INSERT
  TO authenticated
  WITH CHECK (uid() = user_id);

CREATE POLICY "Users can edit their comments" ON comments
  FOR UPDATE
  TO authenticated
  USING (uid() = user_id)
  WITH CHECK (uid() = user_id);

CREATE POLICY "Users can delete their comments" ON comments
  FOR DELETE
  TO authenticated
  USING (uid() = user_id);

Query with InsForge SDK:

// Get top-level comments with author info
const { data: comments } = await client.database
  .from('comments')
  .select('*, author:user_id(nickname, avatar_url)')
  .eq('post_id', postId)
  .is('parent_comment_id', null)
  .order('created_at', { ascending: false });

// Get replies to a comment
const { data: replies } = await client.database
  .from('comments')
  .select('*, author:user_id(nickname, avatar_url)')
  .eq('parent_comment_id', commentId)
  .order('created_at', { ascending: true });

---

Pattern 4: Multi-Tenant (Organization Scoped)

Use when: Building SaaS apps where data is scoped to organizations/workspaces

Schema:

CREATE TABLE organizations (
  id UUID PRIMARY KEY DEFAULT gen_random_uuid(),
  name TEXT NOT NULL,
  created_at TIMESTAMPTZ DEFAULT NOW()
);

CREATE TABLE organization_members (
  organization_id UUID REFERENCES organizations(id) ON DELETE CASCADE,
  user_id UUID REFERENCES users(id) ON DELETE CASCADE,
  role TEXT NOT NULL CHECK (role IN ('owner', 'admin', 'member')),
  joined_at TIMESTAMPTZ DEFAULT NOW(),
  PRIMARY KEY (organization_id, user_id)
);

CREATE TABLE projects (
  id UUID PRIMARY KEY DEFAULT gen_random_uuid(),
  organization_id UUID REFERENCES organizations(id) ON DELETE CASCADE,
  name TEXT NOT NULL,
  created_at TIMESTAMPTZ DEFAULT NOW()
);

-- RLS: Users can only see projects in their organizations
ALTER TABLE projects ENABLE ROW LEVEL SECURITY;

CREATE POLICY "Users see org projects" ON projects
  FOR SELECT
  TO authenticated
  USING (
    organization_id IN (
      SELECT organization_id
      FROM organization_members
      WHERE user_id = uid()
    )
  );

CREATE POLICY "Admins can create projects" ON projects
  FOR INSERT
  TO authenticated
  WITH CHECK (
    organization_id IN (
      SELECT organization_id
      FROM organization_members
      WHERE user_id = uid()
      AND role IN ('owner', 'admin')
    )
  );

---

Best Practices

1. Always add indexes on foreign key columns for performance
2. Use UNIQUE constraints on junction tables to prevent duplicates
3. Enable RLS on all user-facing tables
4. Use ON DELETE CASCADE for automatic cleanup
5. Foreign key expansion in SDK uses the syntax: table:column(fields)
6. Count aggregations use: table(count)
7. Filter nested tables with: nested_table!inner() for inner join behavior

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• ❌ Forgetting indexes on foreign keys → Slow queries
• ❌ Not using UNIQUE on junction tables → Duplicate likes/follows
• ❌ Missing RLS policies → Data leaks
• ❌ Using .single() on queries that might return multiple rows → Errors
• ❌ Not wrapping INSERT data in arrays → PostgREST error