supabase-postgres-best-practices/references/security-rls-performance.md

title: Optimize RLS Policies for Performance impact: HIGH impactDescription: 5-10x faster RLS queries with proper patterns tags: rls, performance, security, optimization

Optimize RLS Policies for Performance

Poorly written RLS policies can cause severe performance issues. Use subqueries and indexes strategically.

Incorrect (function called for every row):

create policy orders_policy on orders
  using (auth.uid() = user_id);  -- auth.uid() called per row!

-- With 1M rows, auth.uid() is called 1M times

Correct (wrap functions in SELECT):

create policy orders_policy on orders
  using ((select auth.uid()) = user_id);  -- Called once, cached

-- 100x+ faster on large tables

Use security definer functions for complex checks:

SECURITY DEFINER functions run with the creator's privileges and bypass RLS on any tables they touch — which is what makes them useful for internal lookups, but also what makes them dangerous if misused. Always include an explicit auth.uid() check inside the function body, keep them in a non-exposed schema, and revoke EXECUTE from any role that shouldn't call them directly.

-- Create helper function in a private schema
create or replace function private.is_team_member(team_id bigint)
returns boolean
language sql
security definer
set search_path = ''
as $$
  select exists (
    select 1 from public.team_members
    -- always check the calling user's identity inside the function
    where team_id = $1 and user_id = (select auth.uid())
  );
$$;

-- Revoke direct execution from public roles
revoke execute on function private.is_team_member(bigint) from PUBLIC, anon, authenticated, service_role;

-- Use in policy (indexed lookup, not per-row check)
create policy team_orders_policy on orders
  using ((select private.is_team_member(team_id)));

Always add indexes on columns used in RLS policies:

create index orders_user_id_idx on orders (user_id);

Reference: RLS Performance