Is PlanetScale Safe?
Last updated: January 12, 2026
An honest security analysis of PlanetScale for developers considering it for their projects.
Quick Answer
Safe - Vitess-powered with branch protectionPlanetScale is enterprise-grade safe, built on Vitess (the technology scaling YouTube's databases). No direct database exposure - all access through their proxy. Branch-based workflows prevent accidental production changes. SOC 2 Type II certified.
Understanding PlanetScale Security
When evaluating whether PlanetScale is safe for your project, it's important to understand the distinction between platform security and application security. PlanetScale as a platform implements industry-standard security practices for its infrastructure, including encryption, access controls, and regular security audits.
However, the security of applications built with PlanetScale depends significantly on how developers use the platform. AI-generated code and rapid development workflows can introduce vulnerabilities that exist independently of the platform's underlying security. Research from Stanford University found that AI coding assistants produce vulnerable code approximately 40% of the time when working on security-sensitive tasks.
The most common security issues in PlanetScale applications stem from misconfigurations, exposed credentials, and missing security controls—problems that developers must address regardless of which platform they use. Understanding these patterns helps you make informed decisions about using PlanetScale for your specific use case.
Platform Security
Platform security refers to the security measures PlanetScale implements at the infrastructure level: how they protect their servers, encrypt data in transit and at rest, manage access to their systems, and respond to security incidents. These are controls the platform provider manages on your behalf.
Application Security
Application security is your responsibility as a developer. This includes properly configuring authentication, implementing authorization controls, protecting sensitive data, securing API endpoints, and avoiding common vulnerabilities like exposed credentials or SQL injection. These risks exist regardless of which platform you use.
Common Security Mistakes in PlanetScale Apps
Based on security scans of thousands of PlanetScale applications, these are the most frequently encountered vulnerabilities. Understanding these patterns helps you proactively secure your applications.
Exposed API Keys & Secrets
AI coding tools frequently embed API keys, database credentials, and other secrets directly in JavaScript bundles. These credentials become visible to anyone who inspects your application's source code in their browser.
Prevention: Use environment variables and server-side API routes to keep credentials secure.
Missing Database Security
Applications using Supabase or Firebase often launch without proper Row Level Security (RLS) policies or Security Rules. This allows unauthorized users to read, modify, or delete data they shouldn't have access to.
Prevention: Always enable and test RLS policies before deploying to production.
Insufficient Input Validation
AI-generated code often assumes valid input without implementing proper validation. This opens applications to injection attacks, XSS vulnerabilities, and data corruption.
Prevention: Validate all user input on both client and server side.
Missing Security Headers
HTTP security headers like Content-Security-Policy, X-Frame-Options, and Strict-Transport-Security are frequently missing from AI-generated applications, leaving them vulnerable to various attacks.
Prevention: Configure security headers in your hosting platform or application middleware.
Security Assessment
Security Strengths
- Built on Vitess - battle-tested at YouTube/Slack scale
- No direct database access - all queries through secure proxy
- Branch workflows: test schema changes before production
- SOC 2 Type II certified with audit logging
- Non-blocking schema changes prevent downtime attacks
Security Concerns
- Connection strings contain credentials - must be protected
- Branch promotion can push vulnerable schemas to production
- No Row Level Security - must implement in application layer
- Vitess has some MySQL feature limitations affecting security patterns
- Shared infrastructure on free tier
Security Checklist for PlanetScale
- 1Store connection strings in environment variables, never in code
- 2Use Deploy Requests for production schema changes (requires approval)
- 3Implement application-level access control (no RLS in MySQL/Vitess)
- 4Enable audit logging on paid plans to track query patterns
- 5Set branch permissions: developers → dev branches, admins → main
- 6Use parameterized queries - PlanetScale doesn't prevent SQL injection
The Verdict
PlanetScale is one of the most secure managed MySQL options available. Vitess proxy architecture means no direct database exposure. The branch workflow is like git for databases - test changes safely before production. Main limitation: no RLS, so implement access control in your application.
Security Research & Industry Data
Understanding PlanetScale security in the context of broader industry trends and research.
of Lovable applications (170 out of 1,645) had exposed user data in the CVE-2025-48757 incident
Source: CVE-2025-48757 security advisory
average cost of a data breach in 2023
Source: IBM Cost of a Data Breach Report 2023
developers using vibe coding platforms like Lovable, Bolt, and Replit
Source: Combined platform statistics 2024-2025
What Security Experts Say
“Vibe coding your way to a production codebase is clearly risky. Most of the work we do as software engineers involves evolving existing systems, where the quality and understandability of the underlying code is crucial.”
“The problem with AI-generated code isn't that it doesn't work - it's that it works just well enough to ship, but contains subtle security flaws that are hard to spot.”
Frequently Asked Questions
Is PlanetScale safe for production?
Yes. PlanetScale is SOC 2 Type II certified and built on Vitess, which powers YouTube and Slack. All database access goes through their secure proxy - there's no direct database connection to attack. Used by major companies in production.
What is PlanetScale's branch workflow?
PlanetScale treats database schemas like git branches. Create a branch, make schema changes, test them, then create a Deploy Request to merge to production. This prevents accidental production changes and allows schema review before deployment.
Does PlanetScale support Row Level Security?
No. PlanetScale uses MySQL/Vitess which doesn't have PostgreSQL-style RLS. You must implement access control in your application layer. This is different from Supabase/Neon which offer RLS. Use application middleware for row-level filtering.
How is PlanetScale different from Supabase?
PlanetScale is MySQL-based with Vitess; Supabase is PostgreSQL-based. PlanetScale has no RLS (application-level auth); Supabase has RLS. PlanetScale has branch workflows; Supabase has real-time subscriptions. Choose PlanetScale for MySQL compatibility and scale.
Verify Your PlanetScale App Security
Don't guess - scan your app and know for certain. VAS checks for all the common security issues in PlanetScale applications.