Skip to main content

​
Common Patterns

These patterns show how to combine Sync Streams features to solve common real-world scenarios.

​
Organization-Scoped Data

For apps where users belong to an organization (or company, team, workspace, etc.), use JWT claims to scope data. The org_id in the JWT ensures users only see data from their organization, without needing to pass it from the client. 
streams:
  # All projects in the user's organization (auto-sync on connect)
  org_projects:
    auto_subscribe: true
    query: SELECT * FROM projects WHERE org_id = auth.parameter('org_id')

  # Tasks for a specific project (sync on-demand)
  project_tasks:
    query: |
      SELECT * FROM tasks
      WHERE project_id = subscription.parameter('project_id')
        AND project_id IN (SELECT id FROM projects WHERE org_id = auth.parameter('org_id'))
Your backend should include the org_id in the JWT payload when issuing tokens — e.g. { "sub": "user-123", "org_id": "org-456" }. Clients auto-subscribe to org_projects when they connect, so the project list is available offline immediately. Subscribe to project_tasks when the user opens a project: 
// When the user opens a project view
const sub = await db.syncStream('project_tasks', { project_id: projectId }).subscribe();
await sub.waitForFirstSync();

// Unsubscribe when the user navigates away
sub.unsubscribe();
For more complex organization structures where users can belong to multiple organizations, see Expanding JSON Arrays.

​
Role-Based Access

When different users should see different data based on their role, use JWT claims to apply visibility rules. This keeps authorization logic on the server side where it’s secure. 
streams:
  # Admins see all articles, others see only published or their own
  articles:
    auto_subscribe: true
    query: |
      SELECT * FROM articles
      WHERE org_id = auth.parameter('org_id')
        AND (
          status = 'published'
          OR author_id = auth.user_id()
          OR auth.parameter('role') = 'admin'
        )
Your backend should include both org_id and role in the JWT — e.g. { "sub": "user-123", "org_id": "org-456", "role": "admin" }. The role claim is set by your backend so users can’t escalate their own privileges. In this example, Clients auto-subscribe to articles when they connect — no client-side subscription call needed.

​
Shared Resources

For apps where users can share items with each other (like documents or folders), combine ownership checks with a “shares table” lookup. This syncs both items the user owns and items others have shared with them. 
streams:
  my_documents:
    auto_subscribe: true
    query: |
      SELECT * FROM documents
      WHERE owner_id = auth.user_id()
         OR id IN (SELECT document_id FROM document_shares WHERE shared_with = auth.user_id())
Clients auto-subscribe to my_documents when they connect, so the user’s documents (owned and shared) are available immediately. When a detail view needs data from multiple tables (like an issue and its comments), use a CTE and multiple queries per stream to define the authorization check once and sync both tables in one subscription. 
streams:
  issue_with_comments:
    with:
      my_projects: SELECT project_id FROM project_members WHERE user_id = auth.user_id()
    queries:
      - |
        SELECT * FROM issues
        WHERE id = subscription.parameter('issue_id')
          AND project_id IN my_projects
      - |
        SELECT comments.* FROM comments
          INNER JOIN issues ON comments.issue_id = issues.id
        WHERE comments.issue_id = subscription.parameter('issue_id')
          AND issues.project_id IN my_projects
Subscribe once when the user opens an issue: 
// When the user opens an issue view
const issueSub = await db.syncStream('issue_with_comments', { issue_id: issueId }).subscribe();

await issueSub.waitForFirstSync();

// Unsubscribe when the user navigates away
issueSub.unsubscribe();
If multiple streams share the same filtering logic, consider using CTEs to avoid repetition and multiple queries per stream so the client only needs to manage one subscription instead of multiple. This is more efficient and .

​
User’s Default or Primary Item

When users have a “default” or “primary” item stored in their profile, you can sync related data automatically without the client needing to know the ID upfront. 
streams:
  # Sync todos from the user's primary list
  primary_list_todos:
    auto_subscribe: true
    query: |
      SELECT * FROM todos
      WHERE list_id IN (
        SELECT primary_list_id FROM users WHERE id = auth.user_id()
      )
The subquery looks up the user’s primary_list_id from the users table, then syncs all todos from that list. When the user changes their primary list in the database, the synced data updates automatically. Clients auto-subscribe to primary_list_todos when they connect — no client-side subscription call needed.

​
Hierarchical Data

When your data has parent-child relationships across multiple levels, you can traverse the hierarchy using nested subqueries or joins. This is common in apps where access to child records is determined by membership at a higher level. For example, consider an app with organizations, projects, and tasks. Users belong to organizations, and should see all tasks in projects that belong to their organizations: 
Organization → Projects → Tasks
     ↑
User membership
Using nested subqueries: 
streams:
  org_tasks:
    auto_subscribe: true
    query: |
      SELECT * FROM tasks
      WHERE project_id IN (
        SELECT id FROM projects WHERE org_id IN (
          SELECT org_id FROM org_members WHERE user_id = auth.user_id()
        )
      )
The query reads from inside out: find the user’s organizations, then find projects in those organizations, then find tasks in those projects. Using joins (often easier to read for deeply nested hierarchies): 
streams:
  org_tasks:
    auto_subscribe: true
    query: |
      SELECT tasks.* FROM tasks
        INNER JOIN projects ON tasks.project_id = projects.id
        INNER JOIN org_members ON projects.org_id = org_members.org_id
      WHERE org_members.user_id = auth.user_id()
Both queries produce the same result. PowerSync handles these nested relationships efficiently, so you don’t need to denormalize your database or add redundant foreign keys. Clients auto-subscribe to org_tasks when they connect — no client-side subscription call needed.

​
Many-to-Many Relationships

Many-to-many relationships (like users subscribing to boards) typically use a join table. Sync Streams support INNER JOINs, so you can traverse these relationships directly without denormalizing your schema. Consider a social app where users subscribe to message boards: 
Users ←→ board_subscriptions ←→ Boards → Posts → Comments

streams:
  # Posts from boards the user subscribes to
  board_posts:
    auto_subscribe: true
    query: |
      SELECT posts.* FROM posts
        INNER JOIN board_subscriptions ON posts.board_id = board_subscriptions.board_id
      WHERE board_subscriptions.user_id = auth.user_id()

  # Comments on those posts (no denormalization needed)
  board_comments:
    auto_subscribe: true
    query: |
      SELECT comments.* FROM comments
        INNER JOIN posts ON comments.post_id = posts.id
        INNER JOIN board_subscriptions ON posts.board_id = board_subscriptions.board_id
      WHERE board_subscriptions.user_id = auth.user_id()

  # User profiles for co-subscribers (people who share a board with me)
  board_users:
    auto_subscribe: true
    query: |
      SELECT users.* FROM users
        INNER JOIN board_subscriptions ON users.id = board_subscriptions.user_id
      WHERE board_subscriptions.board_id IN (
        SELECT board_id FROM board_subscriptions WHERE user_id = auth.user_id()
      )
Clients auto-subscribe to all three streams when they connect. Each query joins through board_subscriptions to find relevant data: posts in the user’s boards, comments on those posts, and other users sharing those boards. Unlike with legacy Sync Rules, you don’t need to denormalize your schema or maintain array columns to handle these relationships.

​
Use Case Examples

Complete configurations for common application types.

​
To-do List App

Sync the list of lists upfront, but only sync todos when the user opens a specific list: 
config:
  edition: 3

streams:
  # Always available - user can see their lists offline
  lists:
    auto_subscribe: true
    query: SELECT * FROM lists WHERE owner_id = auth.user_id()

  # Loaded on demand - only sync todos for the list being viewed
  list_todos:
    query: |
      SELECT * FROM todos
      WHERE list_id = subscription.parameter('list_id')
        AND list_id IN (SELECT id FROM lists WHERE owner_id = auth.user_id())
Clients auto-subscribe to lists when they connect. Subscribe to list_todos when the user opens a list: 
// Lists are already synced (auto_subscribe: true)
const lists = await db.getAll('SELECT * FROM lists');

// When user opens a list
const sub = await db.syncStream('list_todos', { list_id: selectedListId }).subscribe();
await sub.waitForFirstSync();

// Todos are now available locally
const todos = await db.getAll('SELECT * FROM todos WHERE list_id = ?', [selectedListId]);

// Unsubscribe when user navigates back to the list overview
sub.unsubscribe();

​
Chat Application

Chat apps typically have many conversations but users only view one at a time. Sync the conversation list upfront so users can see all their chats immediately, but load messages on-demand to avoid syncing potentially thousands of messages across all conversations. 
config:
  edition: 3

streams:
  # User's conversations - always show the conversation list
  my_conversations:
    auto_subscribe: true
    query: |
      SELECT * FROM conversations
      WHERE id IN (SELECT conversation_id FROM participants WHERE user_id = auth.user_id())

  # Messages - only load for the active conversation
  conversation_messages:
    query: |
      SELECT * FROM messages
      WHERE conversation_id = subscription.parameter('conversation_id')
        AND conversation_id IN (
          SELECT conversation_id FROM participants WHERE user_id = auth.user_id()
        )
Clients auto-subscribe to my_conversations when they connect. Subscribe to conversation_messages when the user opens a conversation: 
// Conversations are already synced (auto_subscribe: true)
const conversations = await db.getAll('SELECT * FROM conversations');

// When user opens a conversation
const sub = await db.syncStream('conversation_messages', {
  conversation_id: conversationId
}).subscribe();
await sub.waitForFirstSync();

// Unsubscribe when user closes the conversation
sub.unsubscribe();

​
Project Management App

This example shows a multi-tenant project management app where users can access public projects or projects they’re members of. Each stream that needs “accessible projects” defines a CTE in that stream (Sync Streams do not support a top-level with block). 
config:
  edition: 3

streams:
  # Organization data - always available
  org_info:
    auto_subscribe: true
    query: SELECT * FROM organizations WHERE id = auth.parameter('org_id')

  # All accessible projects - always available for navigation
  projects:
    auto_subscribe: true
    with:
      user_projects: |
        SELECT id FROM projects
        WHERE org_id = auth.parameter('org_id')
          AND (is_public OR id IN (
            SELECT project_id FROM project_members WHERE user_id = auth.user_id()
          ))
    query: SELECT * FROM projects WHERE id IN user_projects

  # Project details - on demand when user opens a project (one CTE, multiple queries)
  project_details:
    with:
      user_projects: |
        SELECT id FROM projects
        WHERE org_id = auth.parameter('org_id')
          AND (is_public OR id IN (
            SELECT project_id FROM project_members WHERE user_id = auth.user_id()
          ))
    queries:
      - |
        SELECT * FROM tasks
        WHERE project_id = subscription.parameter('project_id')
          AND project_id IN user_projects
      - |
        SELECT * FROM files
        WHERE project_id = subscription.parameter('project_id')
          AND project_id IN user_projects
Your backend should include org_id in the JWT — e.g. { "sub": "user-123", "org_id": "org-456" }. Clients auto-subscribe to org_info and projects when they connect. Subscribe to project details when the user opens a project: 
// org_info and projects are already synced (auto_subscribe: true)
const projects = await db.getAll('SELECT * FROM projects');

// When user opens a project
const sub = await db.syncStream('project_details', { project_id: projectId }).subscribe();
await sub.waitForFirstSync();

// Unsubscribe when user navigates away
sub.unsubscribe();

​
Organization Workspace (Using Multiple Queries)

When several tables share the same access pattern, you can group them into a single stream using multiple queries and a CTE. Sync is more efficient and the client only needs to manage one subscription instead of multiple. 
config:
  edition: 3

streams:
  # All org-level data syncs together in one stream
  org_data:
    auto_subscribe: true
    with:
      user_orgs: SELECT org_id FROM org_members WHERE user_id = auth.user_id()
    queries:
      - SELECT * FROM organizations WHERE id IN user_orgs
      - SELECT * FROM projects WHERE org_id IN user_orgs
      - SELECT * FROM team_members WHERE org_id IN user_orgs

  # Project details - on demand. CTE includes subscription.parameter so queries stay simple.
  project_details:
    with:
      selected_project: |
        SELECT projects.id FROM projects
        INNER JOIN org_members ON org_members.org_id = projects.org_id AND org_members.user_id = auth.user_id()
        WHERE projects.id = subscription.parameter('project_id')
    queries:
      - SELECT * FROM tasks WHERE project_id IN selected_project
      - SELECT * FROM files WHERE project_id IN selected_project
      - SELECT * FROM comments WHERE project_id IN selected_project
The user_orgs CTE in org_data looks up org membership using auth.user_id(). In project_details, the CTE can include subscription.parameter('project_id') so it both authorizes (user must be in the project’s org) and applies the selected project — the queries then just filter by project_id IN selected_project. Clients auto-subscribe to org_data when they connect. Subscribe to project_details when the user opens a project: 
// org_data is already synced (auto_subscribe: true)
const projects = await db.getAll('SELECT * FROM projects');

// When user opens a project
const sub = await db.syncStream('project_details', { project_id: projectId }).subscribe();
await sub.waitForFirstSync();

// Unsubscribe when user navigates away
sub.unsubscribe();
The project_details stream uses a CTE and groups tasks, files, and comments for a specific project into a single subscription.

​
Demo Apps

Working demo apps that demonstrate Sync Streams in action. These show how to combine auto-subscribe streams (for data that should always be available) with on-demand streams (for data loaded when needed).
Try the react-supabase-todolist-sync-streams demo app by following the instructions in the README.In this demo:
  • The app syncs lists by default, so they’re available immediately and offline (demonstrating auto-subscribe behavior).
  • The app syncs todos on demand when a user opens a list (demonstrating subscription parameters).
  • When the user navigates back to the same list, they won’t see a loading state, because the data is cached locally (demonstrating TTL caching behavior).