SelfDB Expo Integration

To use this app you must have a SelfDB instance running locally or remotely.
Don’t have SelfDB yet? Grab a your self-hostable copy https://selfdb.io and follow the installation guide on our website.

Project Overview

This Expo React Native application demonstrates how to use SelfDB as the backend while following mobile best-practices. It ships with:

• 🔐 Authentication (context provider, login / register screens, persistent session)
• 🗄️ Database CRUD (topics & comments with file upload)
• 📡 Real-time ready subscriptions
• 🏗️ Modular project structure (components, contexts, types, services)

Prerequisites

• Node.js ≥ 18
• Expo CLI (npm i -g expo-cli)
• A running SelfDB instance (local or remote)

Quick Start

1. Clone the repo

   git clone https://github.com/Selfdb-io/selfdb-expo-app
   cd selfdb-expo-app

2. Configure the environment

   cp .env.example .env
   # then open `.env` and set:

   EXPO_PUBLIC_SELFDB_URL=http://localhost:8000
   EXPO_PUBLIC_SELFDB_STORAGE_URL=http://localhost:8001
   EXPO_PUBLIC_SELFDB_ANON_KEY=your_key_here

3. Install dependencies

   npm install

4. Install additional tools (if needed)

   # Install Watchman (improves file watching performance)
   brew update && brew install watchman
   
   # Install Expo Dev Client for better debugging
   npx expo install expo-dev-client

5. Start the development server

   npx expo start        # general development
   npx expo run:ios      # iOS simulator/device

Database Setup

1. Create the required tables in SelfDB Dashboard:

-- Create topics table
CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS topics (
    id UUID PRIMARY KEY DEFAULT gen_random_uuid(),
    title VARCHAR(255) NOT NULL,
    content TEXT NOT NULL,
    author_name VARCHAR(100) NOT NULL,
    user_id UUID,
    file_id UUID,
    created_at TIMESTAMP WITH TIME ZONE DEFAULT NOW(),
    updated_at TIMESTAMP WITH TIME ZONE DEFAULT NOW()
);

-- Create comments table
CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS comments (
    id UUID PRIMARY KEY DEFAULT gen_random_uuid(),
    topic_id UUID NOT NULL REFERENCES topics(id),
    content TEXT NOT NULL,
    author_name VARCHAR(100) NOT NULL,
    user_id UUID,
    file_id UUID,
    created_at TIMESTAMP WITH TIME ZONE DEFAULT NOW(),
    updated_at TIMESTAMP WITH TIME ZONE DEFAULT NOW()
);

-- Create indexes for better performance
CREATE INDEX IF NOT EXISTS idx_comments_topic_id ON comments(topic_id);
CREATE INDEX IF NOT EXISTS idx_topics_user_id ON topics(user_id);
CREATE INDEX IF NOT EXISTS idx_comments_user_id ON comments(user_id);
CREATE INDEX IF NOT EXISTS idx_topics_created_at ON topics(created_at);
CREATE INDEX IF NOT EXISTS idx_comments_created_at ON comments(created_at);

2. Create a public storage bucket named discussion.

Next Steps

1. Update .env with your production SelfDB credentials.
2. Test the authentication flow and data operations.
3. Extend the UI or schemas as needed—the foundation is already wired up for you.