Originally published byDev.to
Managing Deno Imports in Supabase Edge Functions
Deno Uses URL-Based Imports
Unlike Node.js, Deno has no npm install. Imports are ESM URLs:
// Node.js (doesn't work in Deno)
import { createClient } from 'supabase';
// Deno (correct)
import { createClient } from 'https://esm.sh/@supabase/supabase-js@2';
Pin Your Versions
// ❌ Unpinned — will break on next major release
import { Hono } from 'https://deno.land/x/hono/mod.ts';
// ✅ Pinned
import { Hono } from 'https://deno.land/x/[email protected]/mod.ts';
The @latest alias on deno.land resolves dynamically. An unpinned import that works today can silently break tomorrow.
Centralize with deno.json
Put a deno.json in supabase/functions/ to alias all imports:
{
"imports": {
"@supabase/supabase-js": "https://esm.sh/@supabase/[email protected]",
"hono": "https://deno.land/x/[email protected]/mod.ts",
"hono/cors": "https://deno.land/x/[email protected]/middleware/cors/index.ts"
}
}
Each Edge Function imports by alias:
import { createClient } from '@supabase/supabase-js';
import { Hono } from 'hono';
Version upgrades: change one line in deno.json, all EFs update.
Shared Utilities with _shared/
Avoid repeating Supabase client initialization in every EF:
// supabase/functions/_shared/supabase.ts
import { createClient } from '@supabase/supabase-js';
export function getClient(req: Request) {
const auth = req.headers.get('Authorization')!;
return createClient(
Deno.env.get('SUPABASE_URL')!,
Deno.env.get('SUPABASE_ANON_KEY')!,
{ global: { headers: { Authorization: auth } } }
);
}
export function getAdminClient() {
return createClient(
Deno.env.get('SUPABASE_URL')!,
Deno.env.get('SUPABASE_SERVICE_ROLE_KEY')!
);
}
Keep deno lint at Zero
deno lint runs in CI. Common violations to avoid:
// ❌ prefer-const — reassigned never → must be const
let count = 0;
// ✅
const count = 0;
// ❌ no-explicit-any
function process(data: any) {}
// ✅ use unknown and narrow
function process(data: unknown) {
if (typeof data === 'string') { ... }
}
Run after every EF change:
deno lint supabase/functions/
import_map.json vs deno.json
Older Supabase projects use import_map.json. Migrate to deno.json:
mv supabase/functions/import_map.json supabase/functions/deno.json
# Wrap content: { "imports": { ...same content... } }
Summary
| Concern | Solution |
|---|---|
| Version drift | Pin with @x.y.z in every URL |
| Many EFs same imports |
deno.json imports aliases |
| Repeated client init |
_shared/supabase.ts utility |
| CI lint failures |
deno lint after every EF edit |
Good import hygiene means zero "works locally, breaks in CI" surprises.
Building in public: https://my-web-app-b67f4.web.app/
Supabase #Deno #TypeScript #buildinpublic #EdgeFunctions
🇺🇸
More news from United StatesUnited States
NORTH AMERICA
Related News
What Does "Building in Public" Actually Mean in 2026?
20h ago
The Agentic Headless Backend: What Vibe Coders Still Need After the UI Is Done
20h ago
Why I’m Still Learning to Code Even With AI
22h ago
Students Boo Commencement Speaker After She Calls AI the 'Next Industrial Revolution'
5h ago
Testing for ‘Bad Cholesterol’ Doesn’t Tell the Whole Story
5h ago