PRODUCTION SECURITY CHECKLIST FOR AI-GENERATED APPS | VIBEEVAL

Most Breaches Happen Within Days of Launch

AI-generated apps often ship with critical security flaws that attackers exploit immediately. Debug modes left enabled, hardcoded credentials, and missing authentication are discovered within hours. Complete this checklist before your first real user logs in.

Pre-Launch Security Checklist

Complete all 12 steps before going live. Critical items are security blockers that must be resolved before launch.

Remove all debug and development code

Disable debug modes, verbose logging, and development-only features that expose internal application details.

Verify all secrets are in environment variables

Ensure no API keys, database credentials, or tokens are hardcoded in source code or configuration files.

Enable HTTPS and force SSL

Configure SSL/TLS certificates and enforce HTTPS redirects for all traffic to protect data in transit.

Configure security headers

Set CSP, HSTS, X-Frame-Options, X-Content-Type-Options, and Referrer-Policy headers to prevent common attacks.

Review authentication and authorization

Verify login flows, session management, password requirements, and access control rules are production-ready.

Enable rate limiting

Implement rate limiting on all API endpoints to prevent brute force attacks and resource exhaustion.

Audit third-party dependencies

Scan all dependencies for known vulnerabilities and update packages with security patches.

Configure CORS properly

Restrict CORS to specific trusted origins instead of allowing all domains with wildcard configurations.

Set up error monitoring

Configure error tracking and alerting to detect security issues and attacks in real-time.

Enable audit logging

Log authentication events, authorization failures, and sensitive operations for security forensics.

Configure database security

Review database access controls, connection encryption, and backup procedures before launch.

Perform final security scan

Run automated security scanners and manual penetration tests to identify last-minute vulnerabilities.

Common Pre-Launch Security Issues

Debug Mode Enabled

Application running with debug=true, exposing stack traces, database queries, and internal errors to users.

Default Admin Credentials

Admin accounts still using default or weak passwords like “admin/admin” or “password123”.

No Rate Limiting

API endpoints accept unlimited requests, allowing brute force attacks and DDoS vulnerabilities.

Missing HTTPS Redirect

Site accessible over HTTP without automatic redirect to HTTPS, exposing credentials in transit.

Related Resources

Vercel Security Guide

Platform-specific security for Vercel deployments

Netlify Security Guide

Secure your Netlify deployment configuration

Environment Variables Security

Secure secrets management best practices

Security Audit Checklist

Comprehensive security testing before launch

Automate Your Pre-Launch Security

VibeEval automatically checks your application against this entire checklist. Get instant feedback on security blockers before going live, saving hours of manual review.