Security Analysis

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 protection

PlanetScale 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.

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

  • 1
    Store connection strings in environment variables, never in code
  • 2
    Use Deploy Requests for production schema changes (requires approval)
  • 3
    Implement application-level access control (no RLS in MySQL/Vitess)
  • 4
    Enable audit logging on paid plans to track query patterns
  • 5
    Set branch permissions: developers → dev branches, admins → main
  • 6
    Use 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.

10.3%

of Lovable applications (170 out of 1,645) had exposed user data in the CVE-2025-48757 incident

Source: CVE-2025-48757 security advisory

4.45 million USD

average cost of a data breach in 2023

Source: IBM Cost of a Data Breach Report 2023

500,000+

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.

Simon WillisonSecurity Researcher, Django Co-creator

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.

Security Research CommunityCollective wisdom from security researchers

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.