supabase start fails silently when project_id contains dots - Vector container crashes without helpful error message

[jumski]

Problem

When a project_id in supabase/config.toml contains dots (e.g., myapp-2.0), the Vector analytics container crashes during startup with a vague error message about an invalid IPv4 address. The error message does not mention the project_id as the culprit, making it difficult to diagnose.

Error Message

supabase_vector_myapp-2.0 container logs:
2026-01-28T08:24:27.453956Z  INFO vector::app: Internal log rate limit configured. internal_log_rate_secs=10
2026-01-28T08:24:27.454168Z  INFO vector::app: Log level is enabled. level="vector=info,codec=info,vrl=info,file_source=info,tower_limit=trace,rdkafka=info,buffers=info,lapin=info,kube=info"
2026-01-28T08:24:27.454268Z  INFO vector::app: Loading configs. paths=["/etc/vector/vector.yaml"]
thread 'main' panicked at 'invalid authority: InvalidIpv4Address', src/sinks/util/uri.rs:122:69
note: run with `RUST_BACKTRACE=1` environment variable to display a backtrace

The panic repeats multiple times, then the container becomes unhealthy and Supabase startup aborts with Error status 500.

Root Cause

The project_id value is used internally to construct container names and URIs. When it contains dots (invalid characters for URI authorities), Vector's sink configuration receives a malformed authority string, causing the panic.

Reproduction Steps

1. Create a new Supabase project or initialize one with:

supabase init myapp

2. Edit supabase/config.toml and modify the project_id to include a dot:

project_id = "myapp-2.0"

3. Run:

supabase start --debug

4. Observe the Vector container repeatedly crashing with the invalid authority: InvalidIpv4Address panic.

Expected Behavior

• The CLI should validate the project_id format before starting containers
• If invalid characters are detected, it should show a clear error message like: "project_id 'myapp-2.0' contains invalid characters. Use only alphanumerics, hyphens, and underscores."
• Startup should fail cleanly with helpful guidance

Workaround

Replace dots with underscores in the project_id:

- project_id = "myapp-2.0"
+ project_id = "myapp-2_0"

Then supabase start works correctly.

Related

• Supabase dev service no longer starting, vector container keeps restarting #2538 (similar Vector container startup failures) - see comment with workaround

Expected Fix

Add validation in the CLI to:

1. Check project_id format when parsing config.toml
2. Enforce alphanumeric characters, hyphens, and underscores only
3. Reject dots and other invalid characters early with a clear error message
4. Prevent container startup with invalid IDs

[singh-inder]

This seems to be an issue with vector's url parsing logic. periods work but only if you don't add a number at the end. For example, if you try this project_id="myapp-2.a" it works. This also works project_id = "myapp-2.0.a". Tested on linux.