Row-level security: meaning, examples, and expert terminology.

Plain meaning

Restricts which database rows a user or tenant can read or modify, even when application code makes a mistake.

Aliases

RLS, RLS policy, database access policy

People usually say

• rls
• rls policy
• row level security
• database security
• supabase security
• users can see other users data

Experts usually say

Row-level security, Authorization policy, Invariant, Source of truth

Use it when

Your rough ask sounds like: rls, rls policy, row level security. The term gives your coding agent a clearer problem shape.

When not to use it

Do not use this term as a request for a quick screen fix. Use it when the system needs explicit state, rules, failures, or recovery behavior.

Prompt upgrade

Weak ask: Fix this rls flow.

Exact Terms ask: Define row-level security policies for every tenant-owned table and test reads, writes, updates, and deletes by role.

Architecture prompt

Audit this workflow for Row-level security and related concerns: Authorization policy, Invariant, Source of truth. Return states, rules, failure modes, and recovery behavior before code.

Implementation prompt

Implement Row-level security for this app flow. Include data ownership, edge cases, fallback behavior, and acceptance tests.

Test prompt

Create tests that prove Row-level security works across refresh, retry, back/next movement, partial failure, and return visits.

What goes wrong

Asking for code before defining states, transitions, persistence, and failure behavior.

Better move

Use Row-level security with the related vocabulary trail: Authorization policy, Invariant, Source of truth.

Turn feedback into vocabulary

If this page almost names your problem but misses the exact term, send the rough phrase and the term you expected. Accepted feedback becomes a better trigger, explanation, comparison page, or new term.