Hustler Words – A significant impediment has emerged for Supabase, the widely-used developer database platform, as India, a crucial market for its operations, has reportedly initiated a block on its services. Information obtained by Hustler Words indicates that authorities in New Delhi have mandated internet service providers to restrict access to Supabase’s online presence, leading to inconsistent availability across various networks.
This directive, issued on February 24th, leverages Section 69A of India’s Information Technology Act. This specific legal clause grants the government broad powers to curb public access to digital content, as confirmed by individuals with insight into the situation.
The rationale behind this governmental intervention remains officially undisclosed. Speculation abounds regarding the underlying cause, with possibilities ranging from cybersecurity vulnerabilities to copyright infringements or other unspecified concerns. Furthermore, the duration for which these restrictions will persist is currently indeterminate.
Related Post
For several days, users across India have reported sporadic access to Supabase. The San Francisco-headquartered firm publicly acknowledged these issues via social media posts beginning Wednesday. Initially, Supabase identified the block on Reliance Industries’ JioFiber network, but subsequent user reports have indicated similar access problems spanning numerous internet service providers and telecommunications networks. A notable social media interaction saw Supabase directly appealing to India’s IT minister, Ashwini Vaishnaw, on Friday, requesting his intervention to reinstate access. This particular post was later retracted, with the company subsequently updating that a significant number of Indian users continued to face blocks.
In an official statement dated February 27, 2026, Supabase conveyed: "We recognize that numerous users in India are still unable to access Supabase. We fully appreciate the challenges this presents for our user base in the region. Supabase is actively engaging through all possible avenues to address and resolve this situation, and we continue to offer guidance to our impacted clientele…"
The ramifications are already being felt within the Indian tech ecosystem. An Indian startup founder, preferring anonymity due to concerns about potential backlash, informed Hustler Words of a halt in new user registrations from India over the preceding 48 to 72 hours. Similarly, a technology consultant collaborating with domestic startups, also speaking off the record, confirmed significant hurdles in consistently utilizing Supabase for both development and live production environments.
While Supabase has proposed temporary solutions like altering DNS settings or employing Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) to circumvent local restrictions, the anonymous founder highlighted that these measures are largely impractical for the majority of end-users, underscoring the severity of the access issue.
As of this publication, Hustler Words independently verified that supabase.co remained unreachable via ACT Fibernet, JioFiber, and Airtel connections within New Delhi. Intriguingly, two users in Bengaluru, also on ACT Fibernet, reported continued access to the service, indicating a potentially inconsistent or geographically varied application of the blocking order.
A critical distinction to note is that while Supabase’s primary informational website largely remains accessible within India, its core underlying developer infrastructure – the very backbone for building and deploying applications – appears to be the target of these restrictions.
The impact on India’s burgeoning developer community could be substantial, given that India represents Supabase’s fourth-largest traffic source, contributing approximately 9% of its global visits, according to Similarweb data. The platform has experienced robust growth, with global traffic surging over 111% year-over-year to roughly 4.2 million visits in January. India’s contribution to this growth was particularly strong, with visits increasing by an estimated 179% to 365,000, surpassing even the U.S.’s 168.5% increase to 627,000 during the same period.
This incident casts a harsh spotlight on wider apprehensions surrounding India’s regulatory framework for website blocking, a sentiment echoed by Raman Jit Singh Chima, the Asia Pacific policy director at Access Now. Chima articulated his concern to Hustler Words, stating, "This is an undeniable reality with severe repercussions for developers and other stakeholders. There’s an inherent uncertainty about where one can securely host projects without the looming threat of an unexpected block, forcing a frantic search for alternatives."
India’s history with broad-stroke website blocking has drawn prior criticism. In 2014, for instance, authorities temporarily restricted access to the developer platform GitHub, alongside services like Vimeo, Pastebin, and Weebly, amidst a security investigation. More recently, in 2023, reports surfaced of specific GitHub content domains being blocked by certain Indian ISPs on various networks.
Supabase, established in 2020 by CEO Paul Copplestone and CTO Ant Wilson, has carved out a niche as an open-source, PostgreSQL-based alternative to Google’s Firebase. The startup has rapidly gained momentum, capitalizing on the growing enthusiasm for ‘vibe coding’ methodologies and AI-powered application development. Its success is underscored by approximately $380 million in funding secured across three rounds since September 2024, propelling its valuation to an impressive $5 billion.
Requests for official comments directed to India’s Ministry of Electronics and IT, as well as major telecom providers including ACT Fibernet, Bharti Airtel, and Reliance Jio, remained unanswered. Similarly, Supabase co-founders Paul Copplestone and Ant Wilson did not provide a statement.
Leave a Comment