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Your AI-Generated Prototype Isn't Production-Ready Without Real Authentication

· 2 min read
Renjith Babu

With the explosion of AI agents and code generation tools, new apps are being built at lightning speed. Many developers are adding authentication from scratch rather than relying on established authentication and authorization providers. On the surface it feels like progress: the prototype works, the login form accepts credentials, a token is issued, and the app is “ready.”

But this is a fragile illusion. Two issues appear quickly.

Security holes are inevitable​

When authentication is hand-rolled, critical safeguards are often missing. Token rotation is skipped. Sessions are not bound to devices. Password recovery is weak. MFA is left for later. Each shortcut creates an opening for attackers. In AI-generated code, these shortcuts may not even be visible until production.

When authentication is hand-rolled, the “must-have” pieces often get skipped. And without them, you’ve built a door with three locks but left the window wide open.

Maintenance debt piles up​

The developer who hacked it together today might be gone tomorrow. Six months later, the business asks:

  • “Can we enable SSO?”
  • “How do we do step-up MFA?”
  • “Where are the audit logs for compliance?”

Now the team is forced to bolt enterprise-grade requirements onto a fragile DIY auth system. It slows everyone down, creates risk, and usually ends with a painful migration back to a proper IdP.

The better path​

Do not reinvent the wheel. Use identity providers or standards-compliant libraries that already solve these problems. Keep authentication and authorization separate so that identification and login are independent from what a user or agent is allowed to do. And always assume you will need enterprise capabilities like SSO, SCIM, and auditability in the future. If you build on the right foundation, those needs become a configuration exercise instead of a rewrite.

My takeaway​

Authentication looks easy until it isn’t. The true cost of rolling your own only shows up when it is too late.

AI code generation accelerates prototypes and makes them look polished, but leadership teams must recognize the difference between “demo ready” and “production secure.” Authentication isn’t a feature to build quickly; it’s a foundation to borrow from platforms built to do it right.

Focus on your product, let identity be handled by systems designed for it, and you’ll save your team headaches, keep your users safer, and be prepared when enterprise requirements arrive.