I wanted to share some recent developments from our agency, NoCodeMinute. While we primarily build on Bubble, we’re starting to incorporate WeWeb and Xano for projects where HIPAA compliance is a necessity. One of our clients in the healthcare space requires strict data privacy, so using WeWeb’s flexible front-end paired with Xano’s HIPAA-compliant backend lets us meet these standards effectively. (The links are also referral codes that give you 10% off for 12 months)
To be clear, we’re not moving away from Bubble! We’re still dedicated to using Bubble for the majority of our projects. This stack just gives us the ability to confidently handle compliance requirements when they come up without compromising on the no-code speed and customization our clients expect.
If any other agencies are working with HIPAA compliance in the no-code space, I’d love to exchange tips or experiences. Especially about any tips for making the transition smoother. Thanks to everyone at Bubble for creating such a great platform and to this community for the ongoing support!
@mlaing it would be nice, but it’s pretty unlikely.
HIPAA is extremely hard to support meaningfully without self-hosting or at least dedicated, isolated infrastructure. Even then, it wouldn’t be just a “Bubble feature” — it would require strict limits or guarantees around third-party plugins, APIs, logging, backups, and access controls.
When you look at the fact that GDPR (which is far more common and generally easier to accommodate) still hasn’t been fully addressed at the platform level, it’s hard to see HIPAA compliance / BAAs offered anytime soon.
Yeah, but at least they could make it HIPAA compliant on the dedicated plans first. Maybe they can create a new plan before the dedicated plan to allow for HIPAA compliance.
Dedicated infra helps, but HIPAA is about control, not just hosting. You need visibility into access, logging, background processes, backups, error handling, and strict limits on third-party services touching patient data. A dedicated Bubble instance alone doesn’t get you very far, because those controls still live with Bubble.
With self-hosted code, it’s different. You set up an Azure environment once, sign a BAA, and you own the boundaries. Apps running there can be HIPAA compliant because you decide what touches PHI and what never does.
Agentic AI coding has made that approach much more practical now, which only widens the gap. HIPAA needs deep control, and that’s hard to offer when the platform itself is the one managing the system.
Not familiar with HIPAA cause I don’t deal outside of Asia but it is still tecnically possible.
If Bubble signed a BAA for a dedicated instance, and you ensured that all PHI is handled exclusively by your own HIPAA-compliant backend (eg. with websockets between it and the user client), the system could be HIPAA-compliant. It’s not a new thing. It’s pretty much how it’s already being done.
ChatGPT said this:
However, Bubble would still be treated as a Business Associate, subject to audit, breach notification, and operational safeguards, and any accidental PHI exposure within Bubble would remain a regulated incident.
So it’s actually in Bubble’s court to decide if it’s a viable risk/tangent to their business goals:
“Technically possible” isn’t what matters. It would be a new thing, and it’s not what’s actually being done today.
If PHI touches Bubble, Bubble becomes a Business Associate. That’s not just signing a BAA. It means audit exposure, breach response, control over access, logging, backups, retention, and hard limits on plugins, APIs, and more.
In practice, the only safe way Bubble is used with HIPAA is by keeping PHI completely out of the app. I’ve built systems like that. They are HIPAA compliant because no PHI is handled → h they don’t require a BAA. Once the app itself needs to handle PHI, Bubble is a no go. (And yes, I’ve been criticized endlessly for pointing out that apps that never handle PHI are HIPAA compliant (which they are technically as they don’t require a BAA).
Teams building HIPAA apps were already using self-hosted code long before AI. Agentic AI coding has removed any potential advantage of using Bubble (if it were to offer HIPPA compliance). You can set up an Azure environment once, sign a BAA, and build quickly without giving up control.
Given how much work it would take for Bubble to offer real HIPAA support, and the lack of upside there is for them now, there’s effectively no chance they pursue it. Even EU compliance, which is far more common and far easier, still hasn’t been addressed (and that actually shoulf)
It’s not new…it is how things work. Companies have to adhere to compliance of the countries they conduct business in.
In this case, the databases and servers in your stack are not HIPAA compliant if they weren’t already BAAs. Unless you, as a BAA, host, own and manage the physical on-prem servers you prod.
As I pointed out what ChatGPT stated.
Yes of course, it’s just scoping, nothing fancy there.
Though the point of the post is that Bubble can make it easier for HIPAA compliance by offering HIPAA dedicated plans. Which includes Bubble becoming a BAA and taking on the weight of compliance. Of course they can charge a premium to cover the risks. Then it’s up to the builder to weigh the pros and cons of an expensive plan with Bubble.
This still treats HIPAA like a hosting or pricing issue, and it isn’t. This isn’t a theoretical or “ChatGPT says” discussion.
A “HIPAA dedicated plan” wouldn’t just be a BAA and a higher bill. It would mean Bubble agreeing to audits, breach response, and all the control issues I’ve mentioned. That’s not something you simple add as a feature in a new plan.
That’s why the only way Bubble is used safely with HIPAA today is by keeping PHI completely out of the app. I’ve built those systems. They’re compliant precisely because Bubble never touches PHI (and therefore have limited utility / use case). Once it does, HIPPA goes beyond what Bubble can support.
My point already. Being a BAA requires Bubble to adhere to the necessary compliance.
Compliance is an issue of risk (from exposure through audits) and cost (lawyers are especially expensive). I know cause I deal with government compliance requirements on a regular basis.
It is also a technical and financial one. Which includes hosting and pricing.
You’re making it sound like it’s some boogeyman. How Bubble would offer HIPAA compliant plans is the same as every other cloud service provider. Bubble has full control over it’s stack.
You’re still mixing up two very different roles. Infrastructure gives you tools and then steps aside. Platforms actually run the system and let customers wire things together freely. HIPAA treats those roles very differently. Once PHI touches Bubble, Bubble is no longer just “enabling compliance.” It is actively handling regulated data. At that point, Bubble owns the risk, including customer misconfigurations.
That’s why this is not a hosting or pricing tweak. A “HIPAA plan” would mean audits, real limits on plugins and APIs, tighter internal access, and ongoing enforcement. That is a different product, aimed at a market that is already dominated by enterprise players that wouldn’t consider a Bubble platform. Given the cost, liability, and minimal upside, there is a minimal chance that Bubble will pursue it (not to mention how backed they are on high priority features).
