[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":226},["ShallowReactive",2],{"blog-checklists/startup-security-checklist":3},{"id":4,"title":5,"body":6,"category":203,"date":204,"dateModified":204,"description":205,"draft":206,"extension":207,"faq":208,"featured":206,"headerVariant":211,"image":212,"keywords":212,"meta":213,"navigation":214,"ogDescription":215,"ogTitle":212,"path":216,"readTime":212,"schemaOrg":217,"schemaType":218,"seo":219,"sitemap":220,"stem":221,"tags":222,"twitterCard":224,"__hash__":225},"blog/blog/checklists/startup-security-checklist.md","Startup Security Checklist: 18-Item Guide for Early-Stage Founders",{"type":7,"value":8,"toc":197},"minimark",[9,16,19,22,47,69,87,105,121,133,138,141,144,166,185],[10,11,12],"tldr",{},[13,14,15],"p",{},"Startup security does not need to slow you down. Focus on secrets management, authentication, and basic access controls. 6 critical items must be done immediately, 8 important items within the first week, and 4 recommended items as you scale. Most security best practices are free and take minutes to implement. Fix the basics now, and you will avoid painful cleanups later.",[13,17,18],{},"Nobody wants to think about security when they are racing to find product-market fit, and honestly, you do not need to overthink it at this stage. Just get the fundamentals right so a preventable breach does not derail everything you are building. Most of this is free and takes less time than you would expect.",[20,21],"print-button",{},[23,24,26,31,35,39,43],"checklist-section",{"title":25},"Quick Checklist (5 Critical Items)",[27,28],"checklist-item",{"description":29,"label":30},"Use environment variables for all API keys and tokens","Never commit secrets to Git",[27,32],{"description":33,"label":34},"You may have committed secrets early without realizing","Scan your repo history",[27,36],{"description":37,"label":38},"Clerk, Auth0, Supabase Auth - don't build your own","Use a proven auth solution",[27,40],{"description":41,"label":42},"GitHub, Google Workspace, cloud providers - today","Enable 2FA for all founders",[27,44],{"description":45,"label":46},"Firebase or Supabase rules locked down","Configure database security rules",[23,48,51,54,57,61,65],{"title":49,"count":50},"Secrets and Credentials","5",[27,52],{"description":53,"label":30},"Use environment variables for all API keys, database URLs, and tokens. Add .env to .gitignore. How to secure API keys",[27,55],{"description":56,"label":34},"Run a tool like git-secrets or trufflehog. You may have committed secrets early on without realizing it. How to scan git history for secrets",[27,58],{"description":59,"label":60},"Development, staging, and production should each have their own API keys and database credentials. How to manage environment keys","Use different keys per environment",[27,62],{"description":63,"label":64},"Free for public repos, catches accidentally pushed secrets and alerts you immediately. How to enable GitHub secret scanning","Enable GitHub secret scanning",[27,66],{"description":67,"label":68},"Create a simple doc listing what secrets exist and where they are stored. Do not document the values. How to document secrets securely","Document where secrets live",[23,70,73,76,79,83],{"title":71,"count":72},"Authentication and Access","4",[27,74],{"description":75,"label":38},"Clerk, Auth0, Supabase Auth, or Firebase Auth. Do not build your own auth system from scratch. How to choose an auth provider",[27,77],{"description":78,"label":42},"GitHub, Google Workspace, Slack, cloud providers. Every founder account needs 2FA enabled today. How to enable 2FA everywhere",[27,80],{"description":81,"label":82},"Even with a small team, distinguish between admin and regular users. Apply least privilege principle. How to implement role-based access","Set up role-based access",[27,84],{"description":85,"label":86},"Use time-limited tokens, do not reveal whether an email exists, and send notifications on password changes. How to secure password reset","Secure your password reset flow",[23,88,90,94,98,101],{"title":89,"count":72},"Data Protection",[27,91],{"description":92,"label":93},"Use SSL certificates for all environments. Platforms like Vercel and Netlify provide free SSL. How to set up HTTPS","Enable HTTPS everywhere",[27,95],{"description":96,"label":97},"Enable automated daily backups. Test restoring from a backup at least once before launch. How to set up database backups","Set up database backups",[27,99],{"description":100,"label":46},"If using Firebase or Supabase, review and lock down your security rules. Never leave default open access. How to configure database security",[27,102],{"description":103,"label":104},"Document what user data you store. Avoid collecting data you do not need. Less data means less risk. How to create a data inventory","Know what data you collect",[23,106,109,113,117],{"title":107,"count":108},"Code and Infrastructure","3",[27,110],{"description":111,"label":112},"Run npm audit or equivalent weekly. Set up Dependabot or Renovate for automated security updates. How to set up Dependabot","Keep dependencies updated",[27,114],{"description":115,"label":116},"Never trust input from users or external APIs. Validate on the server side, not just in the browser. How to validate user input","Validate all user input",[27,118],{"description":119,"label":120},"Use Sentry, LogRocket, or similar. Know when errors happen before users report them. How to set up error monitoring","Set up basic error monitoring",[23,122,125,129],{"title":123,"count":124},"Business Continuity","2",[27,126],{"description":127,"label":128},"Write down how to redeploy from scratch. Include where backups are, how to restore, and who has access. How to create a recovery plan","Document your recovery process",[27,130],{"description":131,"label":132},"Ensure at least two founders can access all critical systems. Do not let knowledge live in one person's head. How to set up shared access","Avoid single points of failure",[134,135,137],"h2",{"id":136},"security-without-slowing-down","Security Without Slowing Down",[13,139,140],{},"Early-stage startups often skip security because they think it will slow them down. In reality, most security basics take minutes to implement and save hours of cleanup later. A data breach or security incident early on can destroy user trust before you even find product-market fit.",[13,142,143],{},"Focus on the fundamentals: secrets management, authentication, and access controls. You can add more sophisticated security measures as you scale, but these basics protect you from the most common attacks.",[145,146,147,154,160],"faq-section",{},[148,149,151],"faq-item",{"question":150},"How much should a startup spend on security?",[13,152,153],{},"Most startup security is free. Use environment variables (free), enable 2FA (free), choose secure defaults (free). Only pay for specialized tools when you have specific needs or compliance requirements.",[148,155,157],{"question":156},"When should startups get a security audit?",[13,158,159],{},"Consider a professional audit before your Series A, before handling sensitive data at scale, or when enterprise customers require it. Until then, use automated scanners and follow security best practices.",[148,161,163],{"question":162},"What is the biggest security risk for early-stage startups?",[13,164,165],{},"Exposed secrets in code repositories. This happens constantly. Scan your git history today, enable secret scanning, and use environment variables for all credentials going forward.",[167,168,169,175,180],"related-articles",{},[170,171],"related-card",{"description":172,"href":173,"title":174},"Minimum viable security for your MVP","/blog/checklists/mvp-security-checklist","MVP Security Checklist",[170,176],{"description":177,"href":178,"title":179},"What to check before your first users","/blog/checklists/first-users-checklist","Security Before First Users",[170,181],{"description":182,"href":183,"title":184},"How to properly manage your secrets","/blog/how-to/environment-variables","Secure Environment Variables",[186,187,190,194],"cta-box",{"href":188,"label":189},"/","Start Free Scan",[134,191,193],{"id":192},"scan-your-startup-in-30-seconds","Scan Your Startup in 30 Seconds",[13,195,196],{},"Get an instant security assessment tailored for early-stage apps.",{"title":198,"searchDepth":199,"depth":199,"links":200},"",2,[201,202],{"id":136,"depth":199,"text":137},{"id":192,"depth":199,"text":193},"checklists","2026-02-04","Security checklist for startups and early-stage founders. Protect your app, users, and reputation from day one without slowing down your launch timeline.",false,"md",[209,210],{"question":150,"answer":153},{"question":156,"answer":159},"green",null,{},true,"Security checklist for startups. Build secure without slowing down.","/blog/checklists/startup-security-checklist","[object Object]","HowTo",{"title":5,"description":205},{"loc":216},"blog/checklists/startup-security-checklist",[223],"Security Checklist","summary_large_image","hmMj5H_FDAHVV1s9-ilB3qw7dIKIGyBjBIp9--6QxVA",1775843930725]