TL;DR
Netlify is a secure deployment platform with excellent defaults. It provides automatic HTTPS, encrypted environment variables, and isolated serverless functions. Their deploy preview system includes protection options. The platform is SOC 2 certified and widely trusted for production deployments.
What is Netlify?
Netlify is a cloud platform for deploying web applications with built-in CI/CD, serverless functions, forms handling, and identity management. Popular with JAMstack applications, static sites, and modern web frameworks. Offers a generous free tier.
Our Verdict
What's Good
- Automatic HTTPS everywhere
- Encrypted environment variables
- Built-in DDoS protection
- SOC 2 Type II certified
- Deploy preview protection
What to Watch
- Build log exposure risk
- Deploy previews public by default
- Form spam without protection
Environment Variables
Secure Storage: Environment variables are encrypted at rest and only exposed to build and function execution environments, not to client-side code by default.
Variable Scoping
| Scope | Available In | Use For |
|---|---|---|
| All deploys | Production + Preview | General config |
| Production only | Production deploys | Production secrets |
| Deploy preview only | PR previews | Staging/test secrets |
Best Practice: Use different API keys for production vs deploy previews. Scope sensitive variables to production only.
Deploy Previews
Netlify creates preview deployments for every PR:
- Public by default: Anyone with URL can access
- Password protection: Available on paid plans
- Netlify Identity: Require login for access
- Branch deploys: Control which branches auto-deploy
Serverless Functions
Netlify Functions run in isolated AWS Lambda environments:
- Each invocation is isolated
- Environment variables available server-side only
- Automatic HTTPS termination
- Background functions for long-running tasks
Security Features
| Feature | Availability |
|---|---|
| HTTPS | All plans (automatic) |
| DDoS Protection | All plans |
| Password Protection | Pro and above |
| Role-based Access | Team plans |
| Audit Logs | Enterprise |
| SSO/SAML | Enterprise |
Is Netlify safe for production?
Yes, Netlify is widely used for production deployments. It's SOC 2 certified with automatic HTTPS, encrypted secrets, and built-in DDoS protection. Many companies trust it for their production sites.
Are my environment variables secure?
Yes, they're encrypted at rest and only available during builds and function execution. They're not exposed to client-side JavaScript unless you explicitly include them in your build output.
How do I protect deploy previews?
Enable password protection or use Netlify Identity to require authentication. You can also scope sensitive environment variables to production only, so previews use different (test) credentials.