Vibe Coding Guide

Secure Vibe Coding

Keep the vibes good AND your apps secure. Learn how to build safely with AI coding tools without killing the creative flow.

What is Vibe Coding?

"Vibe coding" is a term coined by Andrej Karpathy to describe the new paradigm of building software by describing what you want to AI coding tools, reviewing the generated code, and iterating quickly. It's about the creative flow of building apps with AI assistance.

The Good Vibes

  • • Build apps 10x faster
  • • Focus on ideas, not syntax
  • • Lower barrier to entry
  • • Rapid prototyping

The Security Reality

  • • AI makes security mistakes
  • • Fast ≠ secure
  • • Vulnerabilities ship to prod
  • • Attackers target AI apps

The Vibe Coding Security Problem

40%

of AI-generated code contains security issues (Stanford study)

8min

average time to deploy a vibe-coded app (often without security review)

3x

more likely to contain hardcoded secrets than manually written code

The speed of vibe coding is both its strength and weakness. When you're in the flow, reviewing every line of generated code breaks the vibe. But shipping unreviewed AI code is how security incidents happen.

The Secure Vibe Coding Workflow

  1. 1

    Vibe & Build

    Stay in the creative flow. Build your feature with your favorite AI tool. Don't worry about security yet—focus on getting your idea working.

  2. 2

    Quick Security Check

    Before committing, do a 30-second scan: any hardcoded API keys? Any exposed environment variables? Any obvious auth issues?

  3. 3

    Scan Before Deploy

    Run an automated security scan before going live. This catches the vulnerabilities you missed while vibing.

  4. 4

    Fix & Ship

    Fix any critical issues (usually takes 5 minutes), then ship with confidence. Vibes protected.

Security Tips by Tool

Cursor / Windsurf

Disable Yolo/auto-run mode for terminal commands
Review commands before accepting
Don't analyze untrusted repos

v0 / Bolt

Add auth before making app public
Check for exposed API routes
Review database access rules

Lovable / Replit

Use Replit secrets, not hardcoded values
Check for exposed .env files
Verify Supabase RLS is enabled

GitHub Copilot

Review suggestions before accepting
Watch for insecure patterns in completions
Use Copilot for code, not credentials

Common Vibe Coding Vulnerabilities

Exposed API Keys in Frontend

AI often puts API keys directly in React/Vue components where anyone can see them.

Fix: Move to environment variables and server-side API routes

Missing Authentication

Apps work locally but anyone can access all features in production.

Fix: Add auth middleware to protected routes before deploying

Disabled Database Security

Supabase RLS disabled or Firebase rules set to allow all reads/writes.

Fix: Configure proper row-level security rules

Hardcoded Admin Credentials

Test credentials like admin/admin123 left in deployed code.

Fix: Remove all hardcoded credentials, use environment variables

No Input Validation

User input passed directly to database queries or HTML output.

Fix: Add input sanitization and parameterized queries

Frequently Asked Questions

Does security review kill the vibe?

Not if you do it right. A 30-second pre-commit check + automated scanning preserves your flow while catching real issues. The vibe-killer is dealing with a breach after launch.

My app is just a prototype, do I need security?

If it's deployed and accessible, yes. Prototypes often become products, and attackers scan for vulnerable apps automatically. A quick scan takes 2 minutes.

Which AI tool is most secure for vibe coding?

Tools with human-in-the-loop approval (Claude Code) are safer than auto-execute tools. But any tool requires security review of generated code before deployment.

Can I just ask the AI to make my code secure?

AI can help with security, but it also introduces vulnerabilities. You need external validation—ask AI to add auth, then verify it actually works and has no bypass.

Keep Vibing, Stay Secure

Scan your vibe-coded app in 2 minutes. Find vulnerabilities before attackers do, without killing your creative flow.

Scan Your App Free

Last updated: January 2025