Supabase, a popular open-source backend platform used by developers worldwide, has publicly reached out to Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on X, flagging that its domain — supabase.co — has been blocked across major Indian internet service providers following a government ministry order.
In its post directed at the Minister for Electronics and Information Technology, Supabase said it had recently become aware that its platform was inaccessible to users on Jio, Airtel, and ACT Fibernet. The company, which serves millions of developers globally, said the block was leaving a significant number of Indian users unable to access the platform and requested a conversation with someone from the Minister’s team to address the issue.
The block has caused concern within India’s developer community, particularly among independent and small-scale developers who rely on Supabase for their day-to-day projects. Supabase is essentially a Firebase alternative — it provides developers with a ready-to-use backend infrastructure including a hosted PostgreSQL database, authentication, storage, and real-time capabilities, all accessible through a straightforward API. For solo developers and small teams building apps, side projects, or startup MVPs, Supabase dramatically reduces the time and cost involved in setting up backend infrastructure. Many indie developers in India use it precisely because it has a generous free tier and requires minimal DevOps expertise to get started.
Given the nature of the platform, there is no obvious reason why the entire supabase.co domain would warrant a blanket ban. Unlike platforms that host user-generated content, Supabase is a developer tool — its primary users are engineers and technical professionals accessing dashboards, documentation, and APIs to build software. The platform does not serve general consumer content that could typically be the basis for a Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) blocking order under the Information Technology Act.
It remains unclear what specific grounds the ministry order cited. Blocking an entire domain of this nature has a disproportionate impact, effectively cutting off Indian developers from a critical tool and putting them at a disadvantage compared to their global counterparts. Developers who rely on Supabase for live production applications — including apps already being used by end consumers — may be facing service disruptions as a result.
Supabase has not indicated whether it received any prior notice of the block or whether it has been given an opportunity to respond to whatever concerns may have prompted the order. The company’s decision to approach the Minister directly and publicly on X suggests it may not have had a formal channel through which to contest or even understand the basis of the block.
As of now, neither Minister Vaishnaw nor MeitY has publicly responded to Supabase’s post. The situation will be closely watched by India’s startup and developer ecosystem, where access to global developer tools is considered fundamental to remaining competitive in the global technology landscape.