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supabase/apps/docs/content/guides/database/joins-and-nesting.mdx
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---
id: 'joins-and-nested-tables'
title: 'Querying Joins and Nested tables'
description: 'The Data APIs automatically detect relationships between Postgres tables.'
---
The data APIs automatically detect relationships between Postgres tables. Since Postgres is a relational database, this is a very common scenario.
## One-to-many joins
Let's use an example database that stores `orchestral_sections` and `instruments`:
<Tabs
scrollable
size="small"
type="underlined"
defaultActiveId="table"
queryGroup="output-format"
>
<TabPanel id="table" label="Tables">
**Orchestral sections**
| `id` | `name` |
| ---- | --------- |
| 1 | strings |
| 2 | woodwinds |
**Instruments**
| `id` | `name` | `section_id` |
| ---- | ------ | ------------ |
| 1 | violin | 1 |
| 2 | viola | 1 |
| 3 | flute | 2 |
| 4 | oboe | 2 |
</TabPanel>
<TabPanel id="SQL" label="SQL">
```sql
create table orchestral_sections (
"id" serial primary key,
"name" text
);
insert into orchestral_sections
(id, name)
values
(1, 'strings'),
(2, 'woodwinds');
create table instruments (
"id" serial primary key,
"name" text,
"section_id" int references "orchestral_sections"
);
insert into instruments
(name, section_id)
values
('violin', 1),
('viola', 1),
('flute', 2),
('oboe', 2);
```
</TabPanel>
</Tabs>
The APIs will automatically detect relationships based on the foreign keys:
<Tabs
scrollable
size="small"
type="underlined"
defaultActiveId="js"
queryGroup="language"
>
<TabPanel id="js" label="JavaScript">
```js
const { data, error } = await supabase.from('orchestral_sections').select(`
id,
name,
instruments ( id, name )
`)
```
### TypeScript types for joins
`supabase-js` always returns a `data` object (for success), and an `error` object (for unsuccessful requests).
These helper types provide the result types from any query, including nested types for database joins.
Given the following schema with a relation between orchestral sections and instruments:
```sql
create table orchestral_sections (
"id" serial primary key,
"name" text
);
create table instruments (
"id" serial primary key,
"name" text,
"section_id" int references "orchestral_sections"
);
```
We can get the nested `SectionsWithInstruments` type like this:
```ts
import { QueryResult, QueryData, QueryError } from '@supabase/supabase-js'
const sectionsWithInstrumentsQuery = supabase.from('orchestral_sections').select(`
id,
name,
instruments (
id,
name
)
`)
type SectionsWithInstruments = QueryData<typeof sectionsWithInstrumentsQuery>
const { data, error } = await sectionsWithInstrumentsQuery
if (error) throw error
const sectionsWithInstruments: SectionsWithInstruments = data
```
</TabPanel>
<$Show if="sdk:dart">
<TabPanel id="dart" label="Dart">
```dart
final data = await supabase.from('orchestral_sections').select('id, name, instruments(id, name)');
```
</TabPanel>
</$Show>
<$Show if="sdk:swift">
<TabPanel id="swift" label="Swift">
```swift
struct OrchestralSection: Codable {
let id: Int
let name: String
let instruments: [Instrument]
struct Instrument: Codable {
let id: Int
let name: String
}
}
let orchestralSections: [OrchestralSection] = try await supabase
.from("orchestral_sections")
.select("id, name, instruments(id, name)")
.execute()
.value
```
</TabPanel>
</$Show>
<$Show if="sdk:kotlin">
<TabPanel id="kotlin" label="Kotlin">
```kotlin
val data = supabase.from("orchestral_sections").select(Columns.raw("id, name, instruments(id, name)"))
```
</TabPanel>
</$Show>
<$Show if="sdk:python">
<TabPanel id="python" label="Python">
```python
data = supabase.from_('orchestral_sections').select('id, name, instruments(id, name)').execute()
```
</TabPanel>
</$Show>
<TabPanel id="graphql" label="GraphQL">
```javascript
const Query = `
query {
orchestral_sectionsCollection {
edges {
node {
id
name
instruments {
id,
name
}
}
}
}
}
`
```
</TabPanel>
<TabPanel id="url" label="URL">
```bash
GET https://[REF].supabase.co/rest/v1/orchestral_sections?select=id,name,instruments(id,name)
```
</TabPanel>
</Tabs>
## Join types and join modifiers
By default, embedded relations use **left join** semantics from the parent table:
- Parent rows are returned even if no related rows match.
- The embedded relation is `[]` for one-to-many joins and `null` for many-to-one joins when nothing matches.
To filter out parent rows that do not match the related table, use `!inner` on the embedded relation.
### What `:` and `!` mean in join syntax
| Syntax | Meaning | Example |
| ------------------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | --------------------------------------- |
| `alias:relation(columns)` | Rename the embedded relation in the response. | `start_scan:scans(id, badge_scan_time)` |
| `relation!inner(columns)` | Use `inner join` behavior for that embedded relation. | `instruments!inner(id, name)` |
| `relation!foreign_key(columns)` | Choose which foreign key relationship to use when multiple foreign keys match the join. | `scans!scan_id_start(id)` |
### Example data for join types
<Tabs
scrollable
size="small"
type="underlined"
defaultActiveId="table"
queryGroup="join-types-example"
>
<TabPanel id="table" label="Tables">
#### Orchestral sections
| `id` | `name` |
| ---- | ---------- |
| 1 | strings |
| 2 | woodwinds |
| 3 | percussion |
#### Instruments
| `id` | `name` | `section_id` |
| ---- | ------ | ------------ |
| 1 | violin | 1 |
| 2 | viola | 1 |
| 3 | flute | 2 |
| 4 | oboe | 2 |
</TabPanel>
<TabPanel id="sql" label="SQL">
```sql
create table orchestral_sections (
"id" serial primary key,
"name" text
);
insert into orchestral_sections
(id, name)
values
(1, 'strings'),
(2, 'woodwinds'),
(3, 'percussion');
create table instruments (
"id" serial primary key,
"name" text,
"section_id" int references orchestral_sections
);
insert into instruments
(id, name, section_id)
values
(1, 'violin', 1),
(2, 'viola', 1),
(3, 'flute', 2),
(4, 'oboe', 2);
```
</TabPanel>
</Tabs>
### Left join (default)
This query filters on a joined field (`instruments.name`) but still returns all parent rows:
<Tabs
scrollable
size="small"
type="underlined"
defaultActiveId="js"
queryGroup="join-types-left"
>
<TabPanel id="js" label="JavaScript">
```js
const { data, error } = await supabase
.from('orchestral_sections')
.select(
`
id,
name,
instruments ( id, name )
`
)
.eq('instruments.name', 'flute')
```
</TabPanel>
<$Show if="sdk:dart">
<TabPanel id="dart" label="Dart">
```dart
final data = await supabase
.from('orchestral_sections')
.select('''
id,
name,
instruments ( id, name )
''')
.eq('instruments.name', 'flute');
```
</TabPanel>
</$Show>
<$Show if="sdk:swift">
<TabPanel id="swift" label="Swift">
```swift
try await supabase
.from("orchestral_sections")
.select(
"""
id,
name,
instruments ( id, name )
"""
)
.eq("instruments.name", value: "flute")
.execute()
```
</TabPanel>
</$Show>
<$Show if="sdk:kotlin">
<TabPanel id="kotlin" label="Kotlin">
```kotlin
val columns = Columns.raw("""
id,
name,
instruments ( id, name )
""".trimIndent())
val data = supabase.from("orchestral_sections").select(
columns = columns
) {
filter {
eq("instruments.name", "flute")
}
}
```
</TabPanel>
</$Show>
<$Show if="sdk:python">
<TabPanel id="python" label="Python">
```python
data = (
supabase.from_('orchestral_sections')
.select('id, name, instruments(id, name)')
.eq('instruments.name', 'flute')
.execute()
)
```
</TabPanel>
</$Show>
<TabPanel id="url" label="URL">
```bash
GET https://[REF].supabase.co/rest/v1/orchestral_sections?select=id,name,instruments(id,name)&instruments.name=eq.flute
```
</TabPanel>
</Tabs>
#### Result
```json
[
{
"id": 1,
"name": "strings",
"instruments": []
},
{
"id": 2,
"name": "woodwinds",
"instruments": [{ "id": 3, "name": "flute" }]
},
{
"id": 3,
"name": "percussion",
"instruments": []
}
]
```
### Inner join (`!inner`)
Adding `!inner` filters out parent rows that don't match the joined filter:
<Tabs
scrollable
size="small"
type="underlined"
defaultActiveId="js"
queryGroup="join-types-inner"
>
<TabPanel id="js" label="JavaScript">
```js
const { data, error } = await supabase
.from('orchestral_sections')
.select(
`
id,
name,
instruments!inner ( id, name )
`
)
.eq('instruments.name', 'flute')
```
</TabPanel>
<$Show if="sdk:dart">
<TabPanel id="dart" label="Dart">
```dart
final data = await supabase
.from('orchestral_sections')
.select('''
id,
name,
instruments!inner ( id, name )
''')
.eq('instruments.name', 'flute');
```
</TabPanel>
</$Show>
<$Show if="sdk:swift">
<TabPanel id="swift" label="Swift">
```swift
try await supabase
.from("orchestral_sections")
.select(
"""
id,
name,
instruments!inner ( id, name )
"""
)
.eq("instruments.name", value: "flute")
.execute()
```
</TabPanel>
</$Show>
<$Show if="sdk:kotlin">
<TabPanel id="kotlin" label="Kotlin">
```kotlin
val columns = Columns.raw("""
id,
name,
instruments!inner ( id, name )
""".trimIndent())
val data = supabase.from("orchestral_sections").select(
columns = columns
) {
filter {
eq("instruments.name", "flute")
}
}
```
</TabPanel>
</$Show>
<$Show if="sdk:python">
<TabPanel id="python" label="Python">
```python
data = (
supabase.from_('orchestral_sections')
.select('id, name, instruments!inner(id, name)')
.eq('instruments.name', 'flute')
.execute()
)
```
</TabPanel>
</$Show>
<TabPanel id="url" label="URL">
```bash
GET https://[REF].supabase.co/rest/v1/orchestral_sections?select=id,name,instruments!inner(id,name)&instruments.name=eq.flute
```
</TabPanel>
</Tabs>
#### Result
```json
[
{
"id": 2,
"name": "woodwinds",
"instruments": [{ "id": 3, "name": "flute" }]
}
]
```
### Filtering using joined fields
Use `joined_table.column` in filters (for example `eq`, `neq`, and `in`):
<Tabs
scrollable
size="small"
type="underlined"
defaultActiveId="js"
queryGroup="join-types-filtering"
>
<TabPanel id="js" label="JavaScript">
```js
const { data, error } = await supabase
.from('instruments')
.select(
`
id,
name,
orchestral_sections!inner ( id, name )
`
)
.eq('orchestral_sections.name', 'woodwinds')
```
</TabPanel>
<$Show if="sdk:dart">
<TabPanel id="dart" label="Dart">
```dart
final data = await supabase
.from('instruments')
.select('''
id,
name,
orchestral_sections!inner ( id, name )
''')
.eq('orchestral_sections.name', 'woodwinds');
```
</TabPanel>
</$Show>
<$Show if="sdk:swift">
<TabPanel id="swift" label="Swift">
```swift
try await supabase
.from("instruments")
.select(
"""
id,
name,
orchestral_sections!inner ( id, name )
"""
)
.eq("orchestral_sections.name", value: "woodwinds")
.execute()
```
</TabPanel>
</$Show>
<$Show if="sdk:kotlin">
<TabPanel id="kotlin" label="Kotlin">
```kotlin
val columns = Columns.raw("""
id,
name,
orchestral_sections!inner ( id, name )
""".trimIndent())
val data = supabase.from("instruments").select(
columns = columns
) {
filter {
eq("orchestral_sections.name", "woodwinds")
}
}
```
</TabPanel>
</$Show>
<$Show if="sdk:python">
<TabPanel id="python" label="Python">
```python
data = (
supabase.from_('instruments')
.select('id, name, orchestral_sections!inner(id, name)')
.eq('orchestral_sections.name', 'woodwinds')
.execute()
)
```
</TabPanel>
</$Show>
<TabPanel id="url" label="URL">
```bash
GET https://[REF].supabase.co/rest/v1/instruments?select=id,name,orchestral_sections!inner(id,name)&orchestral_sections.name=eq.woodwinds
```
</TabPanel>
</Tabs>
#### Result
```json
[
{
"id": 3,
"name": "flute",
"orchestral_sections": {
"id": 2,
"name": "woodwinds"
}
},
{
"id": 4,
"name": "oboe",
"orchestral_sections": {
"id": 2,
"name": "woodwinds"
}
}
]
```
## Many-to-many joins
The data APIs will detect many-to-many joins. For example, if you have a database which stored teams of users (where each user could belong to many teams):
```sql
create table users (
"id" serial primary key,
"name" text
);
create table teams (
"id" serial primary key,
"team_name" text
);
create table members (
"user_id" int references users,
"team_id" int references teams,
primary key (user_id, team_id)
);
```
In these cases you don't need to explicitly define the joining table (members). If we wanted to fetch all the teams and the members in each team:
<Tabs
scrollable
size="small"
type="underlined"
defaultActiveId="js"
queryGroup="language"
>
<TabPanel id="js" label="JavaScript">
```js
const { data, error } = await supabase.from('teams').select(`
id,
team_name,
users ( id, name )
`)
```
</TabPanel>
<$Show if="sdk:dart">
<TabPanel id="dart" label="Dart">
```dart
final data = await supabase.from('teams').select('id, team_name, users(id, name)');
```
</TabPanel>
</$Show>
<$Show if="sdk:swift">
<TabPanel id="swift" label="Swift">
```swift
struct Team: Codable {
let id: Int
let name: String
let users: [User]
struct User: Codable {
let id: Int
let name: String
}
enum CodingKeys: String, CodingKey {
case id, users
case name = "team_name"
}
}
let teams [Team] = try await supabase
.from("teams")
.select(
"""
id,
team_name,
users ( id, name )
"""
)
.execute()
.value
```
</TabPanel>
</$Show>
<$Show if="sdk:kotlin">
<TabPanel id="kotlin" label="Kotlin">
```kotlin
val data = supabase.from("teams").select(Columns.raw("id, team_name, users(id, name)"));
```
</TabPanel>
</$Show>
<$Show if="sdk:python">
<TabPanel id="python" label="Python">
```python
data = supabase.from_('teams').select('id, team_name, users(id, name)').execute()
```
</TabPanel>
</$Show>
<TabPanel id="graphql" label="GraphQL">
````javascript
const Query = `
query {
</TabPanel>
<TabPanel id="graphql" label="GraphQL">
```javascript
const Query = `
query {
teamsCollection {
edges {
node {
id
team_name
users {
id,
name
}
}
}
}
}
`
````
</TabPanel>
<TabPanel id="url" label="URL">
```bash
GET https://[REF].supabase.co/rest/v1/teams?select=id,team_name,users(id,name)
```
</TabPanel>
</Tabs>
## Specifying the `ON` clause for joins with multiple foreign keys
For example, if you have a project that tracks when employees check in and out of work shifts:
```sql
-- Employees
create table users (
"id" serial primary key,
"name" text
);
-- Badge scans
create table scans (
"id" serial primary key,
"user_id" int references users,
"badge_scan_time" timestamp
);
-- Work shifts
create table shifts (
"id" serial primary key,
"user_id" int references users,
"scan_id_start" int references scans, -- clocking in
"scan_id_end" int references scans, -- clocking out
"attendance_status" text
);
```
In this case, you need to explicitly define the join because the joining column on `shifts` is ambiguous as they are both referencing the `scans` table.
To fetch all the `shifts` with `scan_id_start` and `scan_id_end` related to a specific `scan`, use the following syntax:
<Tabs
scrollable
size="small"
type="underlined"
defaultActiveId="js"
queryGroup="language"
>
<TabPanel id="js" label="JavaScript">
```js
const { data, error } = await supabase.from('shifts').select(
`
*,
start_scan:scans!scan_id_start (
id,
user_id,
badge_scan_time
),
end_scan:scans!scan_id_end (
id,
user_id,
badge_scan_time
)
`
)
```
</TabPanel>
<$Show if="sdk:dart">
<TabPanel id="dart" label="Dart">
```dart
final data = await supabase.from('shifts').select('''
*,
start_scan:scans!scan_id_start (
id,
user_id,
badge_scan_time
),
end_scan:scans!scan_id_end (
id,
user_id,
badge_scan_time
)
''');
```
</TabPanel>
</$Show>
<$Show if="sdk:swift">
<TabPanel id="swift" label="Swift">
```swift
struct Shift: Codable {
let id: Int
let userId: Int
let attendanceStatus: String?
let scans: [Scan]
struct Scan: Codable {
let id: Int
let userId: Int
let badgeScanTime: TimeInterval
enum CodingKeys: String, CodingKey {
case id
case userId = "user_id"
case badgeScanTime = "badge_scan_time"
}
}
enum CodingKeys: String, CodingKey {
case id
case userId = "user_id"
case attendanceStatus = "attendance_status"
}
}
let shifts: [Shift] = try await supabase
.from("shifts")
.select(
"""
*,
start_scan:scans!scan_id_start (
id,
user_id,
badge_scan_time
),
scans: scan_id_end (
id,
user_id,
badge_scan_time
)
"""
)
.execute()
.value
```
</TabPanel>
</$Show>
<$Show if="sdk:kotlin">
<TabPanel id="kotlin" label="Kotlin">
```kotlin
val data = supabase.from("shifts").select(Columns.raw('''
*,
start_scan:scans!scan_id_start (
id,
user_id,
badge_scan_time
),
end_scan:scans!scan_id_end (
id,
user_id,
badge_scan_time
)
'''));
```
</TabPanel>
</$Show>
<$Show if="sdk:python">
<TabPanel id="python" label="Python">
```python
data = supabase.from_('shifts').select("""
*,
start_scan:scans!scan_id_start (
id,
user_id,
badge_scan_time
),
end_scan:scans!scan_id_end (
id,
user_id,
badge_scan_time
)
""").execute()
```
</TabPanel>
</$Show>
<TabPanel id="graphql" label="GraphQL">
```javascript
const Query = `
query {
shiftsCollection {
edges {
node {
id
user_id
attendance_status
scan_id_start {
id
user_id
badge_scan_time
}
scan_id_end {
id
user_id
badge_scan_time
}
}
}
}
}
`
```
</TabPanel>
</Tabs>