institutional-trader/README/QUICK_FIX_DATABASE.md

Quick Fix: Database Connection Error

Problem

You're seeing: Invalid API key error

Solution: Use Direct PostgreSQL Connection (2 minutes)

Step 1: Get Database Connection String

1. Go to your Supabase Dashboard: https://app.supabase.com
2. Select your project
3. Go to Settings (gear icon) → Database
4. Scroll to Connection String section
5. Select URI tab
6. Copy the connection string (it looks like this):

   postgresql://postgres:[YOUR-PASSWORD]@db.[PROJECT-REF].supabase.co:5432/postgres
   

Step 2: Replace Password

Replace [YOUR-PASSWORD] with your actual database password:

• If you don't know it, click Reset database password in Supabase
• Or use the password you set when creating the project

Step 3: Add to .env File

Create or edit backend/.env file:

# Direct PostgreSQL Connection (RECOMMENDED)
DATABASE_URL=postgresql://postgres:your_actual_password@db.your-project-ref.supabase.co:5432/postgres

# Server Configuration
PORT=3010
NODE_ENV=development

# CORS Configuration
CORS_ORIGIN=http://localhost:5173

Example:

DATABASE_URL=postgresql://postgres:MySecurePassword123@db.abcdefghijklmnop.supabase.co:5432/postgres

Step 4: Restart Server

cd backend
npm run dev

You should now see:

✅ Database connection successful (PostgreSQL direct)

Why This Works

• Direct PostgreSQL connection bypasses Supabase API keys
• Faster for heavy SQL queries (which this system uses)
• More reliable for analytical queries
• No API key expiration issues

Still Having Issues?

See TROUBLESHOOTING.md for detailed troubleshooting steps.