ArgosX: independent verification for AI-built apps

Vibe Coding Security Checklist Firebase

Free pre-launch checklist

Is Firebase safe? The pre-launch checklist

Firebase security is almost entirely about your Security Rules, and the config object in your page is a distraction people worry about for the wrong reason. The apiKey inside firebaseConfig is publishable and safe to expose: it identifies your project, it doesn't grant access. What grants access is your Firestore, Realtime Database and Storage rules. The classic Firebase leak is shipping test-mode rules (allow read, write: if true) to production, which leaves your whole database readable and writable by anyone.

Where Firebase apps leak most (Firebase (Firestore, Realtime Database, Storage))

Run a free ArgosX scan on your Firebase app →

The full pre-launch checklist is below. For Firebase, the database section is the one that matters most: your Security Rules are the only thing standing between the public and your data. ArgosX probes your Firebase rules directly on a free scan.

Built by ArgosX — independent verification for AI-built apps.

0 / 117 done0%

ArgosX auto-checks 38 of these free right now. 5 need a signed-in Pro scan to verify as a real user. The remaining 74 are tagged Human, judgment calls a scanner can't make alone, which is exactly what our $249/scan Human-Verified tier adds on top. Between automated and human review, that's nearly all 117 checks off your plate.

Your database & data

0/13

The number-one way AI-built apps leak: the database is wide open to anyone who views the page source. This is where a scan pays for itself.

6 auto-checked · 6 need human review

Secret keys & API tokens

0/10

AI tools love to paste real keys straight into the frontend. Anyone can open your JavaScript and read them.

6 auto-checked · 4 need human review

Login & accounts

0/14

Getting sign-in right is where AI-generated apps quietly cut corners — no rate limits, no email checks, sessions that never expire.

1 auto-checked · 12 need human review

Who can access what

0/11

The hardest thing for AI to get right: making sure a regular user can't reach admin pages or do admin things just by asking.

2 auto-checked · 7 need human review

Forms, inputs & uploads

0/13

Anywhere a user can type or upload, someone will try to break it. These checks keep bad input from becoming a bad day.

2 auto-checked · 11 need human review

Payments & billing

0/8

If money moves through your app, the price and the entitlement have to be decided by your server — never by the browser.

7 need human review

Going live: headers, HTTPS & CORS

0/13

The boring settings that browsers rely on to protect your users. Most of these ArgosX can confirm for you in seconds.

10 auto-checked · 3 need human review

Accessibility, SEO & error states

0/16

The trust-and-polish layer. It won't get you hacked, but broken states and inaccessible UI quietly cost you users — and ArgosX checks a lot of it free.

8 auto-checked · 8 need human review

AI features & chatbots

0/7

If your app has an AI chat or assistant — and most vibe-coded apps do — it's a brand-new attack surface most builders never test.

1 auto-checked · 6 need human review

Business logic & edge cases

0/6

The bugs no scanner alone can find: places where the app does exactly what it was told, but the rules were wrong.

6 need human review

Third-party integrations

0/6

The services you wired in — Stripe, OpenAI, SendGrid, Google login — each add a way in if they're set up loosely.

2 auto-checked · 4 need human review

Want the 38 automatic checks run against your real app?

ArgosX scans your live URL, proves what's exposed with a copy-paste reproduction, and gives you a VibeScore you can share.

Free public scan first

Two ways to verify your Firebase app

The database and exposed-secret items above aren't just advice — ArgosX checks them against your live app and proves what's exposed with a copy-paste reproduction.

One-off

Run a free scan

Paste your live URL and get the automatable checks run in seconds — no signup for the free tier.

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While you build

Add the ArgosX MCP server

Building with Cursor, Claude Code or another AI agent? Add argosx-mcp so your agent can run these security checks as it writes the code.

npx argosx-mcp
Or run a scan without it →

Frequently asked

Is my Firebase API key a security risk if it's visible in the page?

No. The apiKey in firebaseConfig is a publishable identifier, not a secret, and Firebase expects it to be in your client code. It cannot be used to read or write your data on its own; access is controlled entirely by your Security Rules. So don't spend effort hiding it. Spend that effort making sure your Firestore, Realtime Database and Storage rules actually restrict who can read and write, which is what a free ArgosX scan checks.

What are Firebase test-mode rules and why are they dangerous?

When you create a Firestore or Realtime Database, Firebase offers a test mode that allows all reads and writes (`allow read, write: if true`) for a short period so you can build quickly. The danger is shipping those rules to production, or copying them from a tutorial: they leave your entire database open to anyone who has your public config, which is everyone who loads your app. Replace them with rules that require authentication and check ownership before launch.

Does Firebase secure my data by default?

Not for you. Firebase gives you the tools (Security Rules and, optionally, App Check) but the default rules during development are permissive, and it's on you to lock them down before launch. A Firebase app is exactly as secure as its rules: get those right and the public config keys are harmless. Work the database and access sections below, then run a free ArgosX scan to see what an anonymous visitor can currently reach.

Is my Lovable / Bolt / v0 app safe to launch?

Often not without a check. AI coding tools generate working UI fast, but they routinely skip the security layer — most commonly leaving the database readable by anyone and pasting real API keys into the frontend. Work through this checklist before you launch, and run a free ArgosX scan to confirm the automatable items against your live app.

What's the most common way AI-built apps get hacked?

An exposed database. Tools like Supabase, Firebase and Base44 need Row-Level Security switched on and configured per table. When it's missing — which is the default in many quickstarts — anyone can download your entire users table using the public key that's already in your page source. It's the first thing this checklist covers.

Did my AI app leak my database or API keys?

You can check in seconds. Open your app, view the page source or network tab, and look for a service-role key or private API key. If your database has no Row-Level Security, the public key alone can dump your data. ArgosX automates both checks and shows you a copy-paste reproduction if it finds a leak.

How many of these 117 checks can ArgosX do for me?

ArgosX automatically verifies 38 of them on a free public scan — the database, secret-key, HTTPS/header and accessibility items that a black-box scan can confirm from the outside. The rest are manual, because they depend on your app's logic or business rules. A paid Pro scan also signs in and tests access-control items like IDOR and privilege escalation.

Do I need to be technical to use this checklist?

No. Every item is written in plain language with a one-line reason it matters, not security jargon. Check off what you've handled, and the page remembers your progress in your browser so you can come back to it.

Is the ArgosX scan really free?

The public-surface scan is free and needs no signup — enter your URL and it runs read-only against the pages anyone can already see. The $99 Pro scan additionally signs in and tests your authenticated app; the $249 tier adds a human reviewer.