Lovable
security
API Keys Exposed in Lovable Frontend Code
Your Lovable app has API keys, database credentials, or other secrets visible in the browser's source code or network requests. Anyone who views your site can see these keys and potentially abuse them.
This is one of the most critical security issues in AI-generated apps. Lovable may place API keys directly in your frontend JavaScript, making them accessible to anyone who opens browser developer tools. Attackers can use these keys to access your database, send emails on your behalf, or rack up charges on your payment processor.
You might discover this when you receive an unexpectedly high bill from a service, when your database is tampered with, or when a security-conscious user reports the exposure.
Error Messages You Might See
Unauthorized: Invalid API key
403 Forbidden - Access denied
Your API key was found in a public repository
Billing alert: Unusual usage detected
Common Causes
- Keys in environment variables loaded client-side — Lovable may use VITE_ or NEXT_PUBLIC_ prefixed environment variables that get bundled into the frontend code
- Direct API calls from the browser — Instead of routing through a backend, the app calls third-party APIs directly from JavaScript with the key embedded
- Hardcoded credentials in source files — API keys placed directly in .ts or .js files rather than environment variables
- Supabase anon key confusion — Misunderstanding which Supabase keys are safe to expose (anon key) vs which must stay secret (service_role key)
- No server-side proxy — The app architecture doesn't include a backend to securely handle API calls
How to Fix It
- Audit your source code — Open browser DevTools (F12), go to Sources tab, and search for keywords like 'key', 'secret', 'password', 'token' in your JavaScript bundles
- Move sensitive keys to the backend — Create server-side API routes (Supabase Edge Functions or a backend service) that hold your secrets and proxy requests
- Rotate compromised keys immediately — If keys were exposed in production, generate new ones in each service's dashboard and revoke the old ones
- Use Row Level Security — If using Supabase, configure RLS policies so even if the anon key is exposed, users can only access their own data
- Check your Git history — Even if you remove keys from code now, they may still be in previous commits. Consider the keys compromised if they were ever committed
Real developers can help you.
Matthew Butler
Systems Development Engineer @ Amazon Web Services
PawelPloszaj
I'm fronted developer with 10+ years of experience with big projects. I have small backend background too
legrab
I'll fill this later
Pratik
SWE with 15+ years of experience building and maintaining web apps and extensive BE infrastructure
Luca Liberati
I work on monoliths and microservices, backends and frontends, manage K8s clusters and love to design apps architecture
Jacek Rozanski
Senior PHP/Symfony developer and DevOps engineer with 20+ years of professional experience, running opcode.pl (web development agency, est. 2004).
Day job: I'm the sole backend developer at merketing company where I own and maintain 11 PHP/Symfony microservices on AWS (ECS Fargate, RDS, S3, CloudFront), handle the full CI/CD pipeline (Bitbucket Pipelines, Docker), and manage monitoring with Sentry and CloudWatch. These services handle high request volumes in production every month.
What I bring to AI-built apps:
- I audit and fix security issues (OWASP methodology), performance bottlenecks, and architectural problems in codebases generated by Cursor, Claude Code, Lovable, Bolt, and v0
- I refactor AI-generated prototypes into production-grade applications with proper error handling, testing, and clean architecture (SOLID, DDD, hexagonal architecture)
- I set up the infrastructure AI tools don't touch: AWS hosting, CI/CD pipelines, automated deployments, database optimization, monitoring, and alerting
- I integrate external services: payment providers, email systems, partner APIs, SSO/auth
Tech stack: PHP 8.x, Symfony, React, Next.js, PostgreSQL, MySQL, Docker, AWS (ECS, RDS, S3, SQS/SNS, CloudFront), Terraform, Supabase. I also use AI tools daily (Claude Code, Cursor) in my own workflow, so I understand both the strengths and the gaps in AI-generated code.
Based in Poland (CET timezone). Available for async work and calls during EU/US business hours.
Vlad Temian
15+ years shipping production infrastructure for startups. Former CTO at qed.builders (acquired by The Sandbox).
Cursor ambassador and agentic tooling builder.
I've scaled systems, automated deployments, and built observability tools for AI coding workflows. I specialize in taking vibe-coded apps from broken prototype to production-ready: fixing Supabase auth/RLS, Stripe integrations, deployment pipelines, and cleaning up AI-generated spaghetti.
I build tools in this space (agentprobe, claudebin, micode) and understand both sides: how AI generates code and why it breaks.
https://blog.vtemian.com/
Richard McSorley
Full-Stack Software Engineer with 8+ years building high-performance applications for enterprise clients. Shipped production systems at Walmart (4,000+ stores), Cigna (20M+ users), and Arkansas Blue Cross. 5 patents in retail/supply chain tech. Currently focused on AI integrations, automation tools, and TypeScript-first architectures.
Franck Plazanet
I am a Strategic Engineering Leader with over 8 years of experience building high-availability enterprise systems and scaling high-performing technical teams. My focus is on bridging the gap between complex technology and business growth.
Core Expertise:
🚀 Leadership: Managing and coaching teams of 15+ engineers, fostering a culture of accountability and continuous improvement.
🏗️ Architecture: Enterprise Core Systems, Multi-system Integration (ERP/API/ETL), and Core Database Structure.
☁️ Cloud & Scale: AWS Expert; architected systems handling 10B+ monthly requests and managing 100k+ SKUs.
📈 Business Impact: Aligning tech strategy with P&L goals to drive $70k+ in monthly recurring revenue.
I thrive on "out-of-the-box" thinking to solve complex technical bottlenecks and am always looking for ways to use automation to improve business productivity.
BurnHavoc
Been around fixing other peoples code for 20 years.
You don't need to be technical. Just describe what's wrong and a verified developer will handle the rest.
Get HelpFrequently Asked Questions
Is the Supabase anon key safe to expose?
The Supabase anon key is designed to be public, but only when combined with proper Row Level Security (RLS) policies. Without RLS, anyone with the anon key can read and write all your data.
How do I know if my keys have been abused?
Check the usage dashboards for each service (Stripe, SendGrid, etc.). Look for unusual spikes in API calls, unexpected charges, or data you didn't create.