Security bug hunting checklist for production

✅ Bug Hunting Checklist for Production

🔧 1. General Application Health

• App runs without crashing or throwing uncaught exceptions
• Console and server logs are clean (no warnings, stack traces, or deprecation messages)
• All routes/pages return the expected status codes (200, not 500, 404, etc.)
• Third-party services (APIs, payments, analytics) are reachable and functioning

🧪 2. Functional Testing (Does It Work?)

• All core features (login, register, forms, upload/download) work as expected
• Inputs are validated (e.g., required fields, input lengths, email format)
• Edge cases are handled (empty states, long strings, invalid data)
• Forms submit correctly and show success/error feedback
• Database updates as expected (no stale or missing data)

🔒 3. Security Checklist (Critical!)

• No SQL Injection risks (use parameterized/prepared queries)
• No Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) vulnerabilities (sanitize outputs in HTML)
• No Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF) risks (use CSRF tokens)
• Passwords are hashed (use bcrypt, argon2, not plain text)
• User roles and permissions are enforced (no privilege escalation)
• API keys and credentials are not exposed in the frontend
• CORS policy is correctly configured (not * in production)

🛠️ 4. Performance & Reliability

• No memory leaks or infinite loops
• API and DB queries are optimized (no slow queries or N+1 problems)
• Large assets (images, scripts) are compressed
• Lazy loading is used where appropriate
• 404 and error pages are customized and functional

🔄 5. Deployment Readiness

• .env or config files do not contain development secrets
• Debug mode is disabled (DEBUG = False, etc.)
• Logging is appropriate (no verbose logs in production)
• Dependencies are updated and secure (run npm audit, pip list --outdated, etc.)
• Backups and rollback strategy are in place

🔍 6. Monitoring & Logging

• Error tracking (e.g., Sentry, Rollbar) is set up
• Logs are being saved (server logs, app logs)
• Alerts are in place for uptime/downtime (e.g., UptimeRobot, Pingdom)
• Admin dashboard or heartbeat endpoint to check app health

📱 7. Cross-Device & Cross-Browser Testing

• App works on mobile, tablet, and desktop
• App works on Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge
• Responsive layout works across screen sizes
• Touch gestures (swipe, tap) work on mobile

🧩 8. Accessibility (Optional, but Professional)

• Use semantic HTML (<nav>, <header>, <button>, etc.)
• All images have alt text
• Forms are keyboard-navigable
• Sufficient contrast between text and background
• Screen reader compatibility

📦 Bonus: DevOps & Backup

• Deployment pipeline tested (CI/CD)
• Auto restart enabled on server crash (e.g., PM2, supervisor, systemd)
• Daily backups scheduled and tested
• HTTPS and SSL certificates are valid

🧠 Pro Tips

• Use tools like:
• ✅ Postman for API testing
• ✅ OWASP ZAP or Burp Suite for security testing
• ✅ Lighthouse (Chrome DevTools) for performance and accessibility
• ✅ Git Hooks or CI Checks to enforce pre-deployment checks