Is vas a good SonarQube alternative for AI-generated apps?

For scanning a deployed app built with Lovable, Bolt.new, Cursor, or v0, vas is a better fit than SonarQube. SonarQube analyzes your source code inside a build pipeline and reports bugs, code smells, and code-level vulnerabilities. vas scans the running app by URL and finds what actually shipped: exposed API keys in JavaScript bundles, missing Supabase RLS policies, Firebase rule misconfigurations, and missing security headers. If you want a static-analysis and code-quality gate in CI, SonarQube is the right tool; if you want to know whether your live app is leaking secrets or data, vas is.

Does vas replace SonarQube?

No. They operate at different stages and can be used together. SonarQube runs static analysis on your source code during CI and enforces a quality gate before merge. vas scans the deployed application from the outside, with no code access, to catch runtime and configuration exposures. Many teams keep SonarQube in the pipeline for code quality and run vas as a pre-launch check on the live app.

Can vas scan without source code or CI like SonarQube requires?

Yes, and it is the core difference. SonarQube needs your source code and a scanner step wired into your build to analyze the project. vas needs only the deployed URL. You paste your app URL and it scans what a browser and an attacker actually see, which is ideal for vibe-coded apps where you may not control the CI/CD pipeline.

Does SonarQube test Supabase RLS or find exposed keys in a deployed bundle?

No. SonarQube analyzes source code; it does not test a live Supabase database’s Row Level Security policies or fetch and inspect the JavaScript bundle your deployed site actually serves. Those are common failure points in AI-generated apps, and they are exactly what vas tests for by scanning the deployed application.

How much does vas cost compared to SonarQube?

vas gives you your first scan free, with paid plans at $19/month (Go) and $39/month (Pro) that add monitoring scans and persistent alert tracking. SonarQube offers a free self-hosted Community Edition, while the Developer and Enterprise editions and the hosted SonarQube Cloud service are paid and priced by lines of code or users. For an individual or small team that just needs to check a deployed AI-built app, vas is faster to start and cheaper to run.

new: drive vas from your AI agent over MCP · Cursor, Claude Code, Windsurf

vas

SonarQube

vas vs SonarQube: Which Scanner for AI-Built Apps?

Both are security tools, but they look at different things. SonarQube analyzes your source code inside CI. vas scans your deployed app by URL for what actually shipped: exposed secrets, database misconfig, and missing headers.

Quick Summary

Choose vas If...

You built your app with Lovable, Bolt, Cursor, Replit, or v0.dev
You want to check the deployed app without wiring up CI or sharing source
You need to catch exposed API keys in shipped JavaScript bundles
Your app uses Supabase or Firebase and needs live security testing

Choose SonarQube If...

You want static analysis (SAST) and a code-quality gate in CI
You maintain a source repository and control the build pipeline
You want bugs, code smells, and coverage tracked over time
You need per-language rules across a large team codebase

Feature Comparison

Feature	vas	SonarQube
Scans Deployed App (by URL)	No code or repo access needed	Analyzes source code, not the live app
Static Code Analysis (SAST)	Not source-based	Industry-leading static analysis
Code Quality & Coverage	Out of scope	Bugs, code smells, coverage gates
Exposed Keys in Shipped Bundles	Deep JS bundle analysis of the live app	Secret detection in source only
Supabase RLS Testing	Active RLS policy testing	No live database testing
Firebase Rules Testing	Security rules validation	No Firebase support
HTTP Security Headers	Comprehensive runtime analysis	Cannot see runtime responses
AI Code Patterns	Built for AI-generated app patterns	Generic rules, not AI-aware
No Code Access Required	URL-based scanning	Requires source + CI scanner step
AI-Ready Export	Markdown for Claude/ChatGPT	Traditional reports and dashboards
Pricing

Detailed Analysis

Source code vs the deployed app

SonarQube is a static analysis (SAST) and code-quality platform. A scanner runs inside your build, reads your source code, and reports bugs, code smells, and code-level vulnerabilities against per-language rule sets, usually enforced as a quality gate before merge. It is a mature, powerful tool for teams that own a repository and a CI pipeline.

vas looks at the other end of the lifecycle: the app you actually deployed. It scans by URL, with no code access, and inspects what a browser and an attacker see, including the JavaScript bundle your site really serves, the live database access rules, and the HTTP responses. That is where the failures in vibe-coded apps tend to live.

When vas wins

If you built with Lovable, Bolt.new, Cursor, Replit, or v0.dev and just want to know whether your live app is safe, vas is faster and more relevant. You do not need to wire a scanner into a build or hand over source. Paste the URL and it checks for exposed secrets in the shipped bundle, missing Supabase Row Level Security, Firebase rule gaps, and missing security headers.

These are runtime and configuration exposures that source-only static analysis cannot see, because they depend on what was actually deployed and how the backend is configured, not just what the code looks like.

When SonarQube wins

For a team maintaining a real codebase, SonarQube's static analysis, code-quality tracking, and coverage gates are hard to beat. It catches issues at the source, before they ship, and enforces standards across many languages and many contributors over time.

If your priority is a quality gate in CI and long-term code health, SonarQube is the right platform, and vas is not trying to replace it.

Can you use both?

Yes, and they complement each other cleanly. Keep SonarQube in the pipeline for code quality and static analysis, and run vas against the deployed app as a pre-launch check so exposed secrets and database misconfigurations do not reach production. Static analysis catches code problems; vas catches what actually shipped.

Built an AI app? Scan the live version free

vas scans your deployed app by URL for the exposures generic static analysis misses: leaked keys, open database access, and missing headers. Your first scan is free.

Learn More About vas