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Why 3 Credits Costs 3x More

When you have 370 tables, you're not buying a script. You're buying insurance.

Complex migrations aren’t about running a script—they’re about preserving relationships, security policies, and business logic that grew organically. One wrong move and months of user data could be at risk.

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The Real Cost Breakdown

Here’s where your 3 credits ($237) go:
1

Analysis & Planning (0.5 credits)

Before touching anything, we map the battlefield:
  • Schema inventory (every table, column, relationship)
  • RLS policy audit (security vulnerabilities)
  • Data volume assessment (GB to transfer)
  • Complexity scoring (simple vs. nested relationships)
  • Risk identification (what could break)
  • Migration strategy (order of operations)
Time invested: 2-4 hours of expert analysis
2

Schema Migration (0.5 credits)

Recreating your database structure:
  • Table definitions (potentially hundreds of create statements)
  • Foreign key relationships (mapping web of connections)
  • Constraints & indexes (performance preservation)
  • Custom types & enums (PostgreSQL specifics)
  • Triggers & functions (business logic)
What goes wrong without this:
  • Foreign key conflicts
  • Constraint violations
  • Data type mismatches
  • Index corruption
3

Data Transfer (1 credit)

The heavy lifting:
  • Batch extraction (not dumping everything at once)
  • Relationship preservation (parent→child integrity)
  • Binary data handling (images, files)
  • JSON/JSONB integrity (complex nested data)
  • Validation checks (every row verified)
  • Error recovery (what if transfer fails mid-way?)
Time invested: 4-8 hours of careful transfer
4

Security Migration (0.5 credits)

RLS policies—where most migrations fail:
  • Policy extraction (parsing SQL logic)
  • Security function migration (custom auth logic)
  • Permission testing (verify it actually works)
  • Vulnerability audit (are you more secure or less?)
  • Edge case testing (what about null users?)
Why this matters:
  • One broken policy = data exposure
  • One missing policy = unauthorized access
  • One logic error = app broken for users
5

Auth Migration (0.5 credits)

User experience preservation:
  • Account migration (metadata, OAuth links)
  • Password reset strategy (communication plan)
  • Testing user flows (sign-in, sign-up, recovery)
The human factor:
  • Users need to reset passwords
  • Email templates need updating
  • Support documentation required

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What Could Go Wrong (DIY Migration)

Scenario: You dump and restore without checking foreign keys.Result: Orphaned records, broken relationships, app crashes.Cost to fix: 40+ hours of manual cleanup, lost user trust.
Scenario: RLS policies don’t transfer correctly.Result: Users see each other’s data. GDPR violation. Legal liability.Cost to fix: Incident response, legal review, reputation damage.
Scenario: OAuth providers not reconfigured properly.Result: Users can’t log in. Support tickets flood in. Churn spikes.Cost to fix: Emergency hotfix, 24/7 support, lost revenue.
Scenario: Indexes not recreated. Queries that took 50ms now take 5s.Result: App feels broken. Users leave. SEO rankings drop.Cost to fix: Performance audit, query optimization, re-indexing.
Scenario: You migrate 300 tables but miss 70.Result: App works… mostly. Features randomly break. Data inconsistency.Cost to fix: Weeks of debugging, user complaints, patchwork fixes.

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Why Complex Migrations Need Expert Handling

When Your Database Has 370 Tables, You're Buying Insurance

Complex migrations aren’t just about moving data—they’re about preserving relationships, security, and business logic that grew organically over months or years.
What makes migrations complex:
  1. Deep Relationships: Foreign keys spanning dozens of tables
    • One wrong order = orphaned records
    • Circular dependencies require careful sequencing
    • Self-referencing tables need special handling
  2. RLS Policy Complexity: Security rules that reference multiple tables
    • Policies spanning junction tables
    • Custom security functions
    • Permission dependencies
  3. Business Logic in Database: Functions and triggers
    • Automated workflows
    • Data validation rules
    • Audit logging
  4. Scale Matters:
    • More tables = more things that can go wrong
    • More data = longer transfer time = more risk
    • More users = less tolerance for downtime
What the 3 credits cover:
  • Analysis & Planning (0.5 credits): Understanding your schema
  • Schema Migration (0.5 credits): Recreating structure safely
  • Data Transfer (1 credit): Moving data with validation
  • Security Migration (0.5 credits): Porting RLS without gaps
  • Auth & Testing (0.5 credits): Users and verification
The alternative: DIY migration that could take weeks, risk data loss, or break security.

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What You Get for 3 Credits

Not just a migration. A complete infrastructure handoff:

Migration Report

Complete audit trail:
  • Every table migrated
  • Row counts verified
  • Relationship map
  • RLS policy summary
  • Testing results

Schema Documentation

Your database documented:
  • ER diagrams
  • Table descriptions
  • Column definitions
  • Index explanations
  • Function docs

Environment Setup

Ready-to-use configuration:
  • Connection strings
  • Environment variables
  • API endpoints
  • Webhook configs

Testing Suite

Validation that it works:
  • Automated tests
  • Manual verification
  • Security audit
  • Performance baseline
  • Edge case coverage

Communication Templates

User transition support:
  • Password reset emails
  • Migration announcement
  • FAQ document
  • Support responses

Rollback Plan

Safety net:
  • Revert instructions
  • Backup locations
  • Emergency contacts
  • Recovery timeline

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Compare the Alternatives

ApproachCostRiskTimeResult
Our Migration (3 credits)$237Low2-5 daysProduction-ready
Hire Developer$3,000+Medium1-2 weeksVariable quality
DIY Migration$0 (your time)High3-4 weeksUnknown
Stay on Lovable$0Medium—Locked in
DIY hidden costs:
  • Your time: 80-120 hours × 100/hour=100/hour = 8,000-12,000
  • Opportunity cost: Features not built
  • Risk: Data loss (incalculable)
  • Stress: Learning migration tools under pressure

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Who Needs This?

The situation: Built MVP in Lovable, now need to launch.Why 3 credits: Can’t launch on shared infrastructure. Need:
  • Dedicated resources
  • Custom domain
  • Direct database access
  • Full control
The alternative: Stay on Lovable, hit limits, migrate in crisis.
The situation: 100+ tables, hitting Lovable constraints.Why 3 credits: Need advanced features:
  • Custom PostgreSQL extensions
  • Complex RLS policies
  • Real-time at scale
  • Edge functions
The alternative: Patchwork solutions, technical debt, slow performance.
The situation: Compliance, security, audit requirements.Why 3 credits: Can’t use shared backend:
  • SOC 2 requirements
  • Data residency needs
  • Security audits
  • SLA guarantees
The alternative: Rebuild from scratch (3-6 months, $50K+).

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The Bottom Line

3 credits = Insurance + Expertise + Time Saved

You’re not paying for a script. You’re paying for:
  • 15+ years of combined database experience
  • Tested migration processes
  • Error handling and recovery
  • Validation and verification
  • Documentation and handoff
Questions to ask yourself:
  1. What’s the cost of losing even 1% of your data?
  2. How many hours can your team afford to spend on migration?
  3. What’s the risk of breaking RLS and exposing user data?
  4. Can you afford downtime while you figure it out?
If the answer to any of these makes you nervous, the 3 credits are worth it.
Still deciding? See what’s included or set up your Supabase project to get started.