InsForge App Integration Skill

This skill covers client-side SDK integration using @insforge/sdk. For backend infrastructure operations (creating tables, inspecting schema, deploying functions, secrets, managing storage buckets, configuring payment provider keys/catalog, website deployments, cron job and schedules, logs, etc.), use the insforge-cli skill.

Quick Setup

1. Install the SDK

npm install @insforge/sdk@latest

2. Set up environment variables

Before using the SDK, create a .env file (or .env.local for Next.js) in your project root with your InsForge URL and anon key.

How to get your URL and anon key

1. Ensure the project is linked. Check for .insforge/project.json in the project root.
   • Generate it with npx -y @insforge/cli link for an existing project or npx -y @insforge/cli create for a new project.

2. Get the anon key via the CLI:

   npx -y @insforge/cli secrets get ANON_KEY

3. Get the URL from the oss_host field in .insforge/project.json (e.g., https://myapp.us-east.insforge.app).
4. Write both values to the .env file using the correct framework prefix (see table below).

Important: Use the anon key for user-scoped SDK clients, including SSR. For privileged server-only app code that needs admin/service access, use createAdminClient({ apiKey }); the API key is a full-access admin key, equivalent to a service role key on other platforms.

Use the correct environment variable prefix and access pattern for your framework:

Example .env.local for Next.js:

NEXT_PUBLIC_INSFORGE_URL=https://your-appkey.us-east.insforge.app
NEXT_PUBLIC_INSFORGE_ANON_KEY=eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIs...

Important: Keep .env files local. Add .env, .env.local, and .env*.local to your .gitignore and keep .env.example for documenting required variables.

3. Initialize the client

Next.js:

import { createClient } from '@insforge/sdk'

const insforge = createClient({
  baseUrl: process.env.NEXT_PUBLIC_INSFORGE_URL,
  anonKey: process.env.NEXT_PUBLIC_INSFORGE_ANON_KEY
})

Vite:

import { createClient } from '@insforge/sdk'

const insforge = createClient({
  baseUrl: import.meta.env.VITE_INSFORGE_URL,
  anonKey: import.meta.env.VITE_INSFORGE_ANON_KEY
})

Astro:

import { createClient } from '@insforge/sdk'

const insforge = createClient({
  baseUrl: import.meta.env.PUBLIC_INSFORGE_URL,
  anonKey: import.meta.env.PUBLIC_INSFORGE_ANON_KEY
})

For trusted server-only code that needs project-admin access:

import { createAdminClient } from "@insforge/sdk";

const admin = createAdminClient({
  baseUrl: process.env.INSFORGE_URL,
  apiKey: process.env.INSFORGE_API_KEY,
});

Module Reference

What Each Module Covers

Guides

Building Payments for a New App

First choose the provider. There is no generic app payments guide:

• For Stripe Checkout, subscriptions, and Billing Portal, load payments/stripe.md.
• For Razorpay Orders, Subscriptions, Checkout.js, and cancel/pause/resume flows, load payments/razorpay.md.

Before writing app code, check provider setup with the insforge-cli payments references:

npx -y @insforge/cli payments stripe status
npx -y @insforge/cli payments razorpay status

If the chosen provider is unconfigured, ask the developer/admin to configure that provider first.

Real-time Backend Setup

The real-time SDK is for frontend event handling and messaging. Configure channel patterns, database triggers, and channel/message RLS with the insforge-cli skill; see realtime.

Backend Configuration

Supported project config knobs are managed via the CLI — use npx -y @insforge/cli config export/plan/apply for auth redirect URLs, verification flags, password policy, auth SMTP settings, storage upload size, realtime/schedule retention, and cloud deployment subdomain. OAuth providers, external app setup, storage buckets, functions, secrets, and deployment env vars still use their dedicated dashboard or CLI flows. See the insforge-cli skill's Configuration section.

Risky backend changes? Use a branch first

When a code change in this skill depends on a schema migration, new RLS policy, OAuth provider config change, or any other backend change that affects prod behavior, create a backend branch first. Branches share JWT_SECRET (existing user JWTs keep working) but get a fresh database + EC2 + API_KEY / ANON_KEY, so you can test the SDK + backend change end-to-end in isolation.

The full branching workflow lives in the insforge-cli skill — see branch for the decision guide and lifecycle commands. Typical loop:

npx -y @insforge/cli branch create feat-x --mode schema-only
# ... apply migrations / change auth config / update RLS on the branch ...
# ... test the SDK against the branch backend ...
npx -y @insforge/cli branch merge feat-x --dry-run     # review SQL
npx -y @insforge/cli branch merge feat-x               # apply to parent

⚠ After branch create or branch switch, update the app's InsForge URL and anon-key env values, then restart your dev server (or re-source .env) so the SDK talks to the selected branch backend.

SDK Quick Reference

All SDK methods return { data, error }.

Important Notes

• Database inserts require array format: insert([{...}])
• Bandwidth-efficient reads: Name columns and .limit() list reads; never poll unbounded select() on an interval — subscribe with realtime (paired with a realtime.publish trigger) or poll a cheap ordered probe instead. Wasteful query shapes are the top cause of projects exhausting their monthly egress allowance. Probe snippet and full rules: database/sdk-integration.md.
• Next.js / SSR auth: Use @insforge/sdk/ssr helpers (createBrowserClient, createServerClient, createAuthActions, createRefreshAuthRouter) and import updateSession from @insforge/sdk/ssr/middleware in Proxy/Middleware. Keep the refresh token httpOnly, run auth mutations through createAuthActions() on the server, return only safe app data from Server Actions, and let the browser read the short-lived access token for Storage/Realtime. See auth/ssr-integration.md
• Storage: Save both url AND key to database for download/delete operations
• Functions invoke URL: Prefer insforge.functions.invoke(slug) — the SDK owns route construction. For raw HTTP: the project base URL serves the compat path /functions/{slug}, while the functions deployment host (e.g. *.function2.insforge.app) serves the slug at root /{slug}
• Email delivery: Auth emails (signup verification, password reset, magic links, invites) ship on every plan. Custom email via insforge.emails.send() ships on every paid plan. Use the platform-managed delivery path; custom sender domain is dashboard config. See email/sdk-integration.md.
• Payments: Configure provider keys/catalog with npx -y @insforge/cli payments <provider> ... first; frontend code uses provider-scoped SDK modules.
• Payment RLS: Before payment UI, add app-specific RLS on provider runtime tables. Stripe uses payments.stripe_checkout_sessions and payments.stripe_customer_portal_sessions; Razorpay uses payments.razorpay_orders and payments.razorpay_subscriptions. Durable fulfillment triggers go on payments.webhook_events, not success URLs, Checkout callbacks, or payments.transactions.
• Use Tailwind CSS v3.4
• Always local build before deploy: Prevents wasted build resources and faster debugging
• SDK package: Use @insforge/sdk directly for all features including authentication.
• Deployment: Include a vercel.json in the project root for SPA routing (React, React Router apps). The download-template tool includes this automatically.
• Branching for risky backend changes: If your SDK code depends on a new schema, RLS policy, or auth config change, create a branch via npx -y @insforge/cli branch create first — see the insforge-cli skill's branch reference. After branch create / branch switch, update the app's InsForge URL and anon-key env values, then restart the dev server.
• Hit an InsForge-side hurdle? When the SDK, backend, docs, or a skill misbehaves — an API that should work but errors (--type bug), a capability you need that isn't supported (--type feature-request), docs that contradict actual behavior (--type bug --component docs with --doc/--expected) — report it and continue with a workaround: npx -y @insforge/cli feedback --json --type <bug|feature-request|friction> --component <backend|sdk|cli|skills|docs> --title "..." --detail "...", adding --language <lang> for SDK issues (no login required; PII is redacted locally). See the insforge-cli skill's Feedback section for the full flag set and situation→type mapping. Never file feedback for problems in the app code you are writing.