How to debug Supabase auth not persisting session?

 

Step 1: Verify Supabase Client Initialization

 

Ensure that your Supabase client is initialized correctly in your application. This can help avoid configuration issues leading to session persistence problems. Here's a basic example of initializing the client:

import { createClient } from '@supabase/supabase-js';

const supabaseUrl = 'https://your-supabase-url.supabase.co';
const supabaseKey = 'your-anon-key';
const supabase = createClient(supabaseUrl, supabaseKey);

 

Step 2: Check Auth Persistence Setting

 

Verify that the auth persistence setting isn't inadvertently set to only persist for the current session. You can set this parameter during sign-in to ensure it persists across browser sessions:

const { data, error } = await supabase.auth.signIn({
  email: '[email protected]',
  password: 'example-password'
}, {
  shouldPersist: true
});

 

Step 3: Inspect Network Requests

 

Open your browser's Developer Tools and inspect the network requests. Ensure that the request to the Supabase endpoint returns the correct session data and that cookies or stored data references this correctly.

 

Step 4: Check LocalStorage

 

Supabase utilizes localStorage to store session data. Check that localStorage is being used correctly to persist sessions by inspecting whether it's storing the session data as expected:

const session = supabase.auth.session();
console.log(session);

 

Step 5: Review Environment Variables

 

Ensure your environment variables for your Supabase URL and key are correctly set up. If your client is not correctly finding these, it may not be able to maintain a session:

console.log(process.env.SUPABASE\_URL);
console.log(process.env.SUPABASE_ANON_KEY);

 

Step 6: Debug Supabase Listener Setup

 

Supabase provides session persistence via a listener. Ensure your listener for auth state changes is correctly set up and operational:

supabase.auth.onAuthStateChange((event, session) => {
  console.log(event, session);
});

 

Step 7: Verify Session Expiration

 

Ensure that your session has not expired when you observe problems with session persistence. Refresh tokens should automatically renew sessions, but verify if the token lifecycle is configured correctly in your Supabase settings.

 

Step 8: Clear Cache and Test Again

 

Clear your browser cache and localStorage. Try signing in again to verify if stale data was causing persistence issues:

localStorage.clear();
sessionStorage.clear();

 

Step 9: Update Dependencies

 

Updating your Supabase dependencies can fix bugs or issues related to session management. Make sure to regularly update your packages:

npm update @supabase/supabase-js

 

Step 10: Check Supabase Dashboard Settings

 

Review your Supabase project's Dashboard settings to ensure that all auth configurations, such as JWT expiration times and refresh token behavior, are set according to your needs.

 

Step 11: Consult Documentation and Community

 

Refer to the Supabase documentation for any updates or specific settings related to your project requirements. Engaging with the community can also provide insights or solutions specific to session persistence issues.

 

These steps provide a structured way to debug and resolve session persistence problems with Supabase authentication in your application.