TL;DR
Managed database services (Supabase, PlanetScale, MongoDB Atlas) provide better security out of the box with automatic patching, encryption, and network isolation. Self-hosted databases give you full control but require expertise to secure properly. For most vibe coders, managed services are the safer choice unless you have specific compliance or control requirements.
Security Responsibilities
| Responsibility | Self-Hosted | Managed Service |
|---|---|---|
| OS Security Patches | You | Provider |
| Database Patches | You | Provider |
| Network Firewall | You | Provider (configurable) |
| Encryption at Rest | You | Provider (usually default) |
| SSL/TLS Setup | You | Provider (automatic) |
| Backups | You | Provider |
| Access Control (RLS, etc.) | You | You |
| Application Security | You | You |
Shared Responsibility: With managed services, you're still responsible for application-level security like RLS policies, authentication, and input validation. The provider handles infrastructure security.
Self-Hosted Security Challenges
What You Must Handle
- OS hardening: Disable unnecessary services, configure firewalls, set up fail2ban
- Regular patching: Keep the OS and database software updated
- Network security: Configure VPCs, security groups, private networking
- Encryption: Set up TLS certificates, configure encryption at rest
- Backup strategy: Automated backups, offsite storage, tested recovery
- Monitoring: Log collection, intrusion detection, alerting
- Access management: SSH keys, database users, audit trails
Reality Check: Most self-hosted database breaches happen because of unpatched software, default credentials, or misconfigured network access. These are solved problems for managed services.
Common Self-Hosted Mistakes
- Exposing database ports to the public internet
- Using default or weak passwords
- Not enabling encryption in transit
- Skipping security patches
- No backup verification or testing
- Running as root or with excessive privileges
Managed Service Security Benefits
What You Get Automatically
- Automatic patching: Security updates applied without downtime
- Encryption by default: At rest and in transit, usually enabled automatically
- Network isolation: Databases run in private networks by default
- Automated backups: Regular backups with point-in-time recovery
- DDoS protection: Provider-level protection against attacks
- Compliance certifications: SOC 2, HIPAA, GDPR often available
- 24/7 monitoring: Professional security teams watching for issues
Popular Managed Options
| Service | Database | Key Security Features |
|---|---|---|
| Supabase | PostgreSQL | RLS, automatic SSL, backups |
| PlanetScale | MySQL | Branching, audit logs, IP restrictions |
| Neon | PostgreSQL | RLS, auto-scaling, branching |
| MongoDB Atlas | MongoDB | CSFLE, IP whitelist, VPC peering |
| Firebase | Firestore | Security rules, Google infrastructure |
When Self-Hosted Makes Sense
Self-hosting might be appropriate when:
- Data sovereignty: Regulations require data in specific locations you control
- Air-gapped systems: No internet connectivity allowed
- Custom compliance: Specific security controls not offered by managed services
- Cost at scale: Very large databases where managed pricing is prohibitive
- Existing expertise: You have dedicated DBAs and security engineers
Be Honest: If you're a solo developer or small team without dedicated ops staff, self-hosting is likely to be less secure than using a managed service, even if you think you know what you're doing.
Hybrid Approaches
Some options blend self-hosted control with managed security:
- RDS, Cloud SQL: Managed database on your cloud account
- Kubernetes operators: Managed deployments on your infrastructure
- VPC peering: Connect managed services to your private network
Which Should You Choose?
Choose Managed Services If:
You're a small team, don't have dedicated security/ops staff, want to focus on building your product, or need compliance certifications without building your own compliance program.
Choose Self-Hosted If:
You have specific regulatory requirements that managed services can't meet, have dedicated database and security expertise on your team, or need complete control over your infrastructure.
Are managed databases truly secure?
Yes, major managed database providers invest heavily in security. They employ dedicated security teams, undergo regular audits, and maintain compliance certifications. The infrastructure security is likely better than what most teams can achieve self-hosting.
Can the managed service provider access my data?
Providers have policies against accessing customer data without permission. For highly sensitive data, some services offer customer-managed encryption keys (CMEK) where you control the encryption keys, making data inaccessible even to the provider.
What if the managed service goes down?
Managed services have better uptime than most self-hosted setups due to professional operations. They also provide backup/restore features. For critical applications, design for provider outages by having backup procedures and considering multi-region deployments.
Is self-hosting cheaper?
Self-hosting can be cheaper for raw compute costs, but factor in the time spent on security, patching, monitoring, and incident response. For most teams, the total cost of ownership is higher for self-hosted when you account for engineering time.