MVP Security Checklist: What You Actually Need

Security matters, but you don't need enterprise-grade systems for an MVP. Here's what actually protects your users without slowing you down.

Must-Have Before Launch

• •HTTPS everywhere (free via Let's Encrypt)
• •Password hashing (bcrypt or Argon2—never store plain text)
• •SQL injection protection (use parameterized queries or an ORM)
• •CSRF protection (most frameworks handle this)
• •Secure session management (HttpOnly, Secure cookies)
• •Input validation on all forms

Should Have Within First Month

• •Rate limiting on auth endpoints (prevent brute force)
• •Email verification for new accounts
• •Secure password reset flow
• •Basic logging of auth events
• •Environment variables for secrets (never commit API keys)

Can Wait Until You Scale

• •Two-factor authentication
• •Advanced threat detection
• •SOC 2 compliance
• •Penetration testing
• •Bug bounty program

Common MVP Security Mistakes

• •Storing API keys in frontend code
• •Using HTTP in production
• •No rate limiting on login
• •Exposing user IDs in URLs without authorization checks
• •Sending passwords in plain text emails

Quick Wins

• •Use a managed auth service (Clerk, Auth0, Supabase Auth)
• •Use an ORM instead of raw SQL queries
• •Add security headers (Helmet.js for Node)
• •Keep dependencies updated