Is Supabase Safe?
Last updated: January 12, 2026
An honest security analysis of Supabase for developers considering it for their projects.
Quick Answer
Safe when RLS is enabled - most breaches are misconfigurationsSupabase is secure when Row Level Security (RLS) is properly configured. 83% of Supabase database exposures involve RLS misconfiguration (Escape.tech). The anon key is PUBLIC BY DESIGN - security comes from RLS policies, not hiding keys. Never expose the service_role key.
Understanding Supabase Security
When evaluating whether Supabase is safe for your project, it's important to understand the distinction between platform security and application security. Supabase 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 Supabase 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 Supabase 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 Supabase for your specific use case.
Platform Security
Platform security refers to the security measures Supabase 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 Supabase Apps
Based on security scans of thousands of Supabase 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
- PostgreSQL RLS is battle-tested enterprise technology (unlike Firebase's proprietary rules)
- SOC 2 Type II compliant with regular third-party security audits
- Two-key architecture: anon key (public) vs service_role key (secret) makes security explicit
- SQL-based policies are version-controllable and reviewable in code
- Edge Functions keep server-side logic truly server-side
Security Concerns
- 83% of Supabase exposures involve RLS misconfiguration (Escape.tech research)
- RLS is NOT enabled by default - tables are publicly accessible until you enable it
- Developers confuse anon key (safe to expose) with service_role key (NEVER expose)
- Using auth.uid() instead of (select auth.uid()) causes performance issues at scale
- CVE-2025-48757 showed 170+ Lovable apps with RLS misconfiguration
Security Checklist for Supabase
- 1Enable RLS: ALTER TABLE your_table ENABLE ROW LEVEL SECURITY;
- 2Write policies using (select auth.uid()) pattern: USING ((select auth.uid()) = user_id)
- 3Search codebase for 'service_role' - must NEVER appear in frontend code
- 4Test RLS: In Supabase SQL editor, run SELECT * FROM your_table; - should return 0 rows
- 5Check Authentication → Policies in Supabase dashboard - every table should have policies
- 6For Edge Functions: use createClient with service_role key only in server-side code
The Verdict
Supabase is enterprise-grade secure, but RLS misconfiguration is the #1 cause of data breaches. Unlike Firebase (proprietary Security Rules), Supabase uses standard PostgreSQL RLS - powerful but requires understanding. The anon key is meant to be public; the service_role key must stay secret. Use VAS to verify your RLS before launch.
Security Research & Industry Data
Understanding Supabase 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
of data breaches involve databases with misconfigured access controls
Source: Verizon Data Breach Investigations Report
average cost of a data breach in 2023
Source: IBM Cost of a Data Breach Report 2023
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 Supabase safe for production?
Yes, Supabase is SOC 2 Type II compliant and used by production apps serving millions of users. However, 83% of Supabase security incidents involve RLS misconfiguration. The platform is secure; your configuration determines whether your app is secure.
Is my Supabase anon key supposed to be public?
Yes. The anon key is designed to be embedded in frontend code - it's not a secret. It can only access data that your RLS policies allow. Think of it as a 'guest pass' with restricted access. The service_role key is the secret one that bypasses RLS.
What's the difference between anon and service_role keys?
The anon key respects RLS policies and is safe to expose in frontend code. The service_role key bypasses ALL RLS and should ONLY be used in server-side code (Edge Functions, backend APIs). Exposing service_role gives attackers full database access.
How is Supabase RLS different from Firebase Security Rules?
Supabase uses standard PostgreSQL Row Level Security (SQL-based, battle-tested, version-controllable). Firebase uses proprietary Security Rules (JSON-like syntax, Firebase-specific). Both achieve the same goal but RLS is more powerful for complex queries and is industry-standard.
Why use (select auth.uid()) instead of auth.uid()?
Using (select auth.uid()) wraps the call in a subquery, which PostgreSQL evaluates once per query instead of once per row. At scale, auth.uid() without the select wrapper causes significant performance degradation. Always use the select wrapper in RLS policies.
Verify Your Supabase App Security
Don't guess - scan your app and know for certain. VAS checks for all the common security issues in Supabase applications.