How to get your Supabase-backed vibe coded app ready to launch

You’ve built something amazing with vibe coding. Your app works perfectly on your computer, the database stores data correctly, and you’re excited to share it with the world. But there’s a crucial gap between “works for me” and “ready for other people to use.”

This guide covers the bare minimum security and monitoring steps you need before launching your Supabase-backed app. These aren’t nice-to-have features. They’re essential protections that take a few hours to implement but can save you from major headaches when real users start using your app.

Think of this as your pre-flight checklist. You wouldn’t take off without checking your instruments, and you shouldn’t launch without securing your database.

Table of contents

Lock Down Your Database (The Big One)

Right now, your database is probably wide open. By default, Supabase creates tables without Row Level Security (RLS), which means anyone who finds your app can read, modify, or delete all your data.

Here’s the reality: Tables that do not have RLS enabled with reasonable policies allow any client to access and modify their data. This is unlikely to be what you want in the majority of cases.

What you need to do:

Go to your Supabase dashboard and navigate to Authentication > Policies. You’ll see a list of your tables with RLS status. For any table containing user data, click “Enable RLS.”

Once RLS is enabled, you need to create policies that define who can access what. Start with these basic policies:

• For user profiles: Users can only see and edit their own profile
• For user-generated content: Users can only see and edit content they created
• For public data: Everyone can read, but only authenticated users can create

The simplest policy for user data looks like this: “Enable read access for users based on user_id” where the user_id in the table matches the authenticated user’s ID.

Test this immediately: Open your browser’s developer tools, go to the Console tab, and try to query your database without being logged in. If you can still see user data, RLS isn’t working correctly.

Secure Your Supabase Account

Your Supabase account controls everything about your app’s database. If someone gains access to it, they can view all user data, modify your database structure, or completely shut down your app.

Enable two-factor authentication (2FA):

If you signed up for Supabase using GitHub, enable 2FA on your GitHub account first. Since your GitHub account gives you administrative rights to your Supabase org, you should protect it with a strong password and 2FA using a U2F key or authenticator app.

Then enable 2FA directly on your Supabase account through the account settings.

Review project access:

Check who has access to your Supabase project. Remove anyone who doesn’t need it. If you’re working solo, you should be the only person with access during the early stages.

Set Up Basic Logging

When something goes wrong with your app, you need to know about it. Basic logging helps you understand what users are doing and catch problems before they become disasters.

What to log:

Log the important user actions and system events:

// Good logging examples
console.log("User registered:", {
  userId: user.id,
  email: user.email,
  timestamp: new Date(),
});
console.log("Login attempt:", {
  email: email,
  success: true,
  timestamp: new Date(),
});
console.log("Database error:", {
  error: error.message,
  table: "users",
  timestamp: new Date(),
});

What NOT to log:

Never log sensitive information:

// Never do this
console.log("User password:", password);
console.log("Credit card:", cardNumber);
console.log("API key:", apiKey);

Keep it simple:

For now, console.log statements are fine. Most hosting platforms capture these logs and make them available in their dashboard. You can always upgrade to a more sophisticated logging system later.

Focus on logging these events:

• User registrations and login attempts
• Failed authentication attempts
• Database errors
• Important user actions (creating content, making purchases, etc.)

Move Your Secrets to Environment Variables

If your Supabase URL and API keys are hardcoded in your application files, they’re visible to anyone who can see your code. This is a security risk that’s easy to fix.

Create a .env file:

In your project directory, create a file called .env and move your sensitive information there:

NEXT_PUBLIC_SUPABASE_URL=your-supabase-url
NEXT_PUBLIC_SUPABASE_ANON_KEY=your-anon-key
SUPABASE_SERVICE_ROLE_KEY=your-service-key

Update your .gitignore:

Add .env to your .gitignore file so these secrets don’t get uploaded to GitHub:

.env
.env.local

What counts as a secret:

• Your Supabase service role key (the long one starting with eyJ)
• Email service credentials
• Payment processor keys
• Any third-party API keys

When you deploy your app, you’ll need to set these environment variables in your hosting platform’s settings instead of using the .env file.

Enable Email Confirmation

Email confirmation serves two purposes: it prevents fake signups and makes your app look more professional.

Enable it in Supabase:

Go to Authentication > Settings in your Supabase dashboard and ensure email confirmations are enabled.

Customize your emails (optional but recommended):

The default Supabase confirmation emails work, but they don’t look like they’re from your app. Consider customizing the email templates to match your brand, or at least change the sender name from “noreply@mail.app.supabase.io” to something more recognizable.

Test the flow:

Sign up for your app with a real email address and make sure you receive the confirmation email. Click the link and verify that it properly confirms your account.

Understand Your Rate Limits

Supabase includes built-in protection against abuse, but you should understand what these limits are and monitor your usage.

Know your limits:

Supabase employs a number of safeguards against bursts of incoming traffic to prevent abuse and help maximize stability across the platform. Check the rate limits for authentication endpoints and database operations in your plan.

Monitor your usage:

Keep an eye on your Supabase dashboard to see how close you’re getting to your limits. If you’re on the free plan and approaching the limits, consider upgrading before you hit them.

Add CAPTCHA if needed:

Supabase provides CAPTCHA protection on the signup, sign-in and password reset endpoints. Enable this if you’re worried about automated abuse.

Test with Real Users

Your app works perfectly when you test it, but real users behave differently. They’ll enter unexpected data, use different devices, and find edge cases you never considered.

Start small:

Begin with a few people you trust. Give them clear instructions about what to test and ask them to try breaking things.

Test these scenarios:

• Can they sign up and log in successfully?
• What happens when they enter unusual data in forms?
• Does the app work on their mobile devices?
• Can they access data they shouldn’t be able to see?

Watch your logs:

During testing, check your application logs daily. Look for error patterns, failed login attempts, or unusual activity.

Collect feedback systematically:

Set up a simple way for testers to report issues. This could be as simple as a shared document or a dedicated email address.

Set Up Basic Monitoring

You need to know when your app goes down or starts behaving strangely.

Use your hosting platform’s tools:

Most hosting platforms include basic uptime monitoring and will email you when your app becomes unavailable.

Monitor Supabase usage:

Check your Supabase dashboard regularly to see:

• Database usage and storage
• API request volume
• Authentication events
• Error rates

Set up alerts:

Configure email notifications for:

• App downtime
• Unusual traffic spikes
• High error rates
• Approaching usage limits

Prepare for Launch

If you’re expecting more than casual usage, there are a few additional steps to take.

Consider upgrading your plan:

The free Supabase plan is great for testing, but if you expect real usage, consider upgrading to avoid hitting limits during your launch.

Have a rollback plan:

Know how to quickly disable new user registrations or take your app offline if something goes wrong. Sometimes the best response to a serious problem is to stop the bleeding first, then fix it.

Your Pre-Launch Checklist

Before you share your app with the world:

• Row Level Security enabled on all user data tables
• RLS policies created and tested
• 2FA enabled on Supabase and GitHub accounts
• Environment variables configured for all secrets
• .env file added to .gitignore
• Email confirmation enabled and tested
• Basic logging implemented for key user actions
• App tested by trusted users
• Monitoring and alerts configured
• Feedback collection system ready

The Reality Check

Your vibe-coded app doesn’t need enterprise-grade security from day one, but it does need these basics. Skipping these steps is like leaving your front door unlocked. Maybe nothing bad will happen, but why take the risk?

These protections take a few hours to implement but can save you from major problems when real users start using your app. A data breach or extended downtime can kill a new app before it has a chance to succeed.

Start with these fundamentals, launch confidently, and improve as you grow.