ArgosX: independent verification for AI-built apps

Vibe Coding Security Checklist Next.js

Free pre-launch checklist

Is Next.js safe? The pre-launch checklist

Next.js is a framework, not a generator, so how safe your app is comes down to how you wired auth and data. Two Next-specific traps catch almost everyone. First, any environment variable named with the NEXT_PUBLIC_ prefix is inlined into the browser bundle by design, so a private key placed there is public. Second, Server Actions and route handlers run for anyone who can reach the URL: unless each one checks who's asking and what they own, 'protected' pages leak through their own data endpoints.

Where Next.js apps leak most (your own backend (often Supabase, Neon or Postgres via Prisma))

Run a free ArgosX scan on your Next.js app →

Below is the full pre-launch checklist. For a Next.js app, read the secret-key, access and database sections first: those hold the gaps most common in hand-wired and AI-generated Next.js code, and ArgosX auto-verifies the exposed-secret and database items free.

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?

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Two ways to verify your Next.js 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

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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

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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 Next.js secure by default?

Next.js gives you secure building blocks, but it does not secure your app for you. The framework won't stop you from putting a secret in a NEXT_PUBLIC_ variable, shipping a Server Action that never checks the user, or querying a database that has no row policy. Security in Next.js is a set of decisions you make: the checklist below walks the ones that matter, and a free ArgosX scan confirms the exposed-secret and database items against your live app.

Why is my API key showing up in the browser in Next.js?

Almost always because it's in a NEXT_PUBLIC_ environment variable. Next.js deliberately inlines any variable with that prefix into the client bundle, so a private key there is visible to everyone who loads the page. Move secrets to server-only variables (no NEXT_PUBLIC_ prefix) and read them only in Server Components, route handlers or Server Actions. ArgosX flags a real private key if it finds one served to the browser.

Do Next.js Server Actions and route handlers need their own auth?

Yes. A Server Action or route handler is a public endpoint: hiding the button that calls it does not stop someone from calling it directly. Each one must verify the session and check that the signed-in user actually owns the record it touches. This is a per-endpoint, logic-specific check, so it's on the checklist as a manual review item rather than something a black-box scan can confirm for you.

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.