Step-by-Step Guide
8 steps

How to Secure Your Lovable App

Lovable lets you build apps fast with AI, but speed often comes at the cost of security. Most Lovable apps ship with disabled Row Level Security, exposed API keys, and missing security headers. This guide walks you through fixing every common vulnerability we find when scanning Lovable applications.

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Follow These Steps

1

Enable Row Level Security on every Supabase table

Lovable uses Supabase as its backend. By default, RLS is disabled, meaning anyone with your Supabase URL can read and write your entire database. Open your Supabase dashboard, go to Table Editor, and enable RLS on every single table.

Code Example
ALTER TABLE "your_table" ENABLE ROW LEVEL SECURITY;

CREATE POLICY "Users can view own data" ON "your_table"
  FOR SELECT TO authenticated
  USING ((select auth.uid()) = user_id);

Run SELECT tablename FROM pg_tables WHERE schemaname = 'public'; to list all tables and make sure none are missed.

2

Write restrictive RLS policies for each table

Enabling RLS without policies blocks all access. Write policies for SELECT, INSERT, UPDATE, and DELETE operations. Always scope to the authenticated user.

Code Example
CREATE POLICY "Users can insert own data" ON "your_table"
  FOR INSERT TO authenticated
  WITH CHECK ((select auth.uid()) = user_id);

CREATE POLICY "Users can update own data" ON "your_table"
  FOR UPDATE TO authenticated
  USING ((select auth.uid()) = user_id);

CREATE POLICY "Users can delete own data" ON "your_table"
  FOR DELETE TO authenticated
  USING ((select auth.uid()) = user_id);
3

Move secret API keys to Supabase Edge Functions

Lovable sometimes places API keys like OpenAI or Stripe secret keys directly in frontend code. Search your codebase for any key that is not a Supabase anon key or Firebase API key. Move them to Supabase Edge Functions.

Code Example
// supabase/functions/call-openai/index.ts
import { serve } from "https://deno.land/std@0.168.0/http/server.ts"

serve(async (req) => {
  const OPENAI_KEY = Deno.env.get("OPENAI_API_KEY")
  const { prompt } = await req.json()
  const res = await fetch("https://api.openai.com/v1/chat/completions", {
    method: "POST",
    headers: {
      "Authorization": `Bearer ${OPENAI_KEY}`,
      "Content-Type": "application/json"
    },
    body: JSON.stringify({ model: "gpt-4o", messages: [{ role: "user", content: prompt }] })
  })
  return new Response(JSON.stringify(await res.json()))
})

Supabase anon keys are designed to be public. Only move truly secret keys like OpenAI, Stripe secret, or database passwords.

4

Add security headers to your deployment

Configure security headers in your hosting platform. If you deploy on Vercel, add a vercel.json. On Netlify, use _headers file. These protect against XSS, clickjacking, and content sniffing.

Code Example
// vercel.json
{
  "headers": [
    {
      "source": "/(.*)",
      "headers": [
        { "key": "X-Content-Type-Options", "value": "nosniff" },
        { "key": "X-Frame-Options", "value": "DENY" },
        { "key": "Referrer-Policy", "value": "strict-origin-when-cross-origin" },
        { "key": "Permissions-Policy", "value": "camera=(), microphone=(), geolocation=()" },
        { "key": "Strict-Transport-Security", "value": "max-age=63072000; includeSubDomains; preload" }
      ]
    }
  ]
}
5

Enable email verification in Supabase Auth

Go to Supabase dashboard > Authentication > Settings > Email Auth and make sure "Confirm email" is enabled. This prevents fake signups and ensures users own the email they register with.

Also disable "Enable sign up" if your app is invite-only to prevent unauthorized registrations.

6

Set up rate limiting on Edge Functions

Without rate limiting, attackers can spam your API and run up your bill. Use Supabase built-in rate limiting or implement a simple counter with the Supabase key-value store.

Code Example
// Simple rate limit check in an Edge Function
const ip = req.headers.get("x-forwarded-for") || "unknown"
const key = `rate:${ip}`
const count = await kv.get(key)
if (count && parseInt(count) > 100) {
  return new Response("Too many requests", { status: 429 })
}
await kv.set(key, (parseInt(count || "0") + 1).toString(), { ex: 3600 })
7

Audit your Supabase storage bucket permissions

If your Lovable app uses file uploads, check that your storage buckets are not publicly writable. Go to Supabase > Storage > Policies and ensure only authenticated users can upload, and files are scoped to user folders.

Code Example
CREATE POLICY "Users can upload to own folder" ON storage.objects
  FOR INSERT TO authenticated
  WITH CHECK (bucket_id = 'uploads' AND (storage.foldername(name))[1] = (select auth.uid())::text);
8

Run a security scan with VAS

After implementing these fixes, run an automated scan to verify everything is properly configured. VAS checks for disabled RLS, exposed secrets, missing headers, and more.

Re-scan after every major feature addition to catch new vulnerabilities early.

What You'll Achieve

Your Lovable app now has Row Level Security enforced on all tables, secret API keys moved server-side, security headers configured, email verification enabled, and rate limiting in place. You have closed the most common attack vectors found in Lovable applications.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Mistake

Enabling RLS but not creating any policies

Fix

RLS without policies blocks ALL access. Always create at least a SELECT policy for authenticated users after enabling RLS.

Mistake

Thinking Supabase anon keys need to be hidden

Fix

Supabase anon keys are designed to be public. Security comes from RLS policies, not key secrecy. Focus on writing good policies instead.

Mistake

Using service_role key in frontend code

Fix

The service_role key bypasses RLS entirely. Never expose it in client code. Use it only in server-side functions or Edge Functions.

Mistake

Setting overly permissive RLS policies

Fix

Policies like USING (true) defeat the purpose of RLS. Always scope policies to auth.uid() matching the row owner.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is my Lovable app secure by default?

No. Lovable prioritizes speed of development. RLS is typically disabled, security headers are not configured, and API keys may be exposed in frontend code. You need to manually secure your app before going to production.

Do I need to hide my Supabase anon key?

No. The Supabase anon key is designed to be public. Security is enforced through Row Level Security policies on your database tables, not through key secrecy.

How do I know if my Lovable app has vulnerabilities?

Run a security scan with VAS. It automatically checks for disabled RLS, exposed API keys, missing security headers, and other common vulnerabilities specific to Lovable apps.

Can I secure my Lovable app without coding?

Partially. You can enable RLS and configure auth settings through the Supabase dashboard UI. However, writing RLS policies and moving API keys server-side requires some SQL and code changes.

Related Guides

Fix Lovable API Key ExposureAdd RLS to LovableDeploy Lovable SecurelySecure Environment Variables

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