Is PostgreSQL Safe?
Last updated: January 12, 2026
An honest security analysis of PostgreSQL for developers considering it for their projects.
Quick Answer
Safe - industry gold standard with RLSPostgreSQL is the gold standard for database security, powering Supabase, Neon, and enterprise systems worldwide. Row Level Security (RLS) provides row-level access control that MySQL lacks. 35+ years of security hardening. The technology behind most secure database platforms.
Understanding PostgreSQL Security
When evaluating whether PostgreSQL is safe for your project, it's important to understand the distinction between platform security and application security. PostgreSQL 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 PostgreSQL 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 PostgreSQL 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 PostgreSQL for your specific use case.
Platform Security
Platform security refers to the security measures PostgreSQL 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 PostgreSQL Apps
Based on security scans of thousands of PostgreSQL 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
- Row Level Security (RLS) - the feature that makes Supabase secure
- 35+ years of security hardening and enterprise deployment
- Role-based access control with fine-grained permissions
- SSL/TLS encryption with certificate verification
- Extensive audit logging with pgAudit extension
Security Concerns
- RLS must be explicitly enabled - tables are open by default
- Default postgres superuser should be disabled in production
- Connection strings contain credentials - protect them
- Complex role hierarchies can create permission gaps
- SQL injection still possible without parameterized queries
Security Checklist for PostgreSQL
- 1Enable RLS: ALTER TABLE x ENABLE ROW LEVEL SECURITY;
- 2Create application-specific roles, disable postgres superuser
- 3Use SSL: sslmode=verify-full in connection strings
- 4Install pgAudit for comprehensive audit logging
- 5Use parameterized queries ($1, $2) - never concatenate user input
- 6Implement (select auth.uid()) pattern for performant RLS policies
The Verdict
PostgreSQL is why Supabase and Neon can offer row-level security - it's built into the database engine. The 35+ years of security hardening make it the most trusted open-source database. RLS is the killer feature for multi-tenant apps. Use managed PostgreSQL (Supabase, Neon, RDS) unless you have specific self-hosting requirements.
Security Research & Industry Data
Understanding PostgreSQL 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
What is PostgreSQL Row Level Security (RLS)?
RLS lets you define policies that filter which rows users can see/modify. Example: users can only see their own orders. Policies are enforced at the database level - even direct SQL access respects them. This is what makes Supabase secure and why MySQL-based platforms can't offer equivalent security.
Is PostgreSQL more secure than MySQL?
PostgreSQL has Row Level Security (RLS) which MySQL lacks - this is a significant security advantage for multi-tenant applications. Both are secure when configured properly, but PostgreSQL's RLS eliminates a whole class of data leakage bugs. This is why Supabase chose PostgreSQL.
Should I self-host PostgreSQL or use a managed service?
Use managed services (Supabase, Neon, AWS RDS) unless you have specific compliance requirements. Managed services handle security patches, backups, encryption, and high availability. Self-hosting requires dedicated security expertise. Most security incidents are configuration errors that managed services prevent.
How do I prevent SQL injection in PostgreSQL?
Use parameterized queries with placeholders ($1, $2, $3) instead of string concatenation. ORMs like Prisma and Drizzle do this automatically. Never build queries with user input directly. PostgreSQL's RLS adds a second layer of defense even if injection occurs.
Verify Your PostgreSQL App Security
Don't guess - scan your app and know for certain. VAS checks for all the common security issues in PostgreSQL applications.