Supabase, a popular developer database platform, is facing disruptions in India, one of its key markets. The platform has been blocked in India, according to a TechCrunch report. 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, a provision that empowers the government to restrict public access to online content. The Indian government did not publicly cite a reason for the move. It was not immediately clear whether the action was linked to a cybersecurity concern, a copyright complaint, or another issue. It was also unclear how long the restrictions would remain in place.
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 by Supabase on Reliance Industries’ JioFiber network, users have since flagged similar problems across multiple internet providers and telecom networks. In one post on Friday, Supabase tagged India’s IT minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, asking him to intervene and restore access. The company later removed that message and said in a subsequent update that the site remained blocked for many users in the country.
An Indian founder, who asked not to be named to avoid potential repercussions, told TechCrunch they had stopped seeing new user sign-ups from India over the past two to three days. A technology consultant working with local startups, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said they were unable to reliably access Supabase for both development and production purposes.
While Supabase suggested workarounds such as switching DNS settings or using a VPN, the founder said such steps were not practical for most end users. At the time of publication, TechCrunch was able to verify that the core Supabase domain remained inaccessible on ACT Fibernet, JioFiber and Airtel connections in New Delhi. However, two users on ACT Fibernet in Bengaluru said they were still able to access the service, suggesting the restrictions may be unevenly implemented.
Notably, Supabase’s main marketing website remained accessible in India, but its underlying developer infrastructure did not. India is Supabase’s fourth-largest source of traffic, accounting for about 9% of global visits, according to data from Similarweb. This highlights the potential fallout for the country’s developer ecosystem. The platform’s 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.
The incident highlights broader concerns about India’s website blocking regime, said Raman Jit Singh Chima, Asia Pacific policy director at Access Now. He noted that such blocks create uncertainty for developers who cannot know if a service they rely on might suddenly become inaccessible.
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 also reported that a key GitHub content domain had been blocked by certain internet service providers.
Founded in 2020 by CEO Paul Copplestone and CTO Ant Wilson, Supabase positions itself as an open-source alternative to Firebase built on PostgreSQL. The startup has gained traction amid rising interest in so-called vibe coding tools and AI-driven app development. It 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.