DevSecOps Tools
CI/CD Security
Amartya Jha
• 29 May 2025
But pulling that off? That takes the right stack.
At CodeAnt.ai, we believe security shouldn’t slow you down, it should scale with your code. That’s why we’re starting this list with our own DevSecOps engine, purpose-built to protect what you're building without killing your velocity.
After that, we’re walking you through 24 more tools, each picked to help you level up security across every stage of the SDLC. From container scanning and IaC validation to secret detection and compliance automation, we’ve got the stuff that works in real teams.
Let’s break this down.
Before breaking them down, here are the tools we are mentioning.
1. CodeAnt.ai
You know how code reviews often slow down because someone has to comb through security issues manually? CodeAnt.ai takes that pain off your plate. It plugs right into your Git workflow and flags security risks, secrets, and bad code patterns, and even offers fixes right inside your pull requests.
What makes it click in today’s world is its ability to move fast with you. It’s built for teams who push code daily but can’t afford to let security lag.
What stands out:
It doesn’t just detect issues — it offers to fix them, and opens a PR for it
Look at your app code, your infrastructure (like Terraform or K8s), and your dependencies — all at once
Flag secrets in PRs, including AWS tokens, GitHub creds, and JWTs
Works across GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket, and Azure DevOps with zero extra CI setup
Can block pull requests from being merged if critical issues aren’t resolved
You can write your policies (in plain English) to enforce team standards
Comes with built-in HIPAA and SOC 2 checks, plus AWS config analysis
What’s missing or limited:
It’s not open-source.
How teams use it:
Once it’s connected to your Git repo, CodeAnt scans every pull request the moment it’s created or updated.
There’s no need to plug it into your CI; it runs on its own and drops inline comments where it spots issues. That could be a leaked API key, a misconfigured Terraform block, or a vulnerable dependency.
If the problem’s serious, it can stop the PR from merging. And if it’s something fixable, you can often resolve it with a click. Teams also track security posture over time using its dashboard, and push unresolved alerts into Jira with one click.
Pricing:
Starts at $10/dev/month and goes up to $15/dev/month for full compliance and analytics. Free trial available.
2. Spacelift
Managing Infrastructure as Code across teams and tools can get messy fast, especially when everyone’s using their flavor of Terraform, Ansible, or Pulumi.
Spacelift brings order to the chaos. It gives teams a single place to orchestrate and govern infrastructure workflows at scale. For larger orgs juggling multi-cloud environments or enforcing policy-as-code, Spacelift becomes the control plane that keeps everything secure, repeatable, and fast.
What stands out:
Works with Terraform, Pulumi, Ansible, and more, all under one roof
Built-in policy enforcement using OPA and Rego to block unsafe changes
Self-service infrastructure via reusable Blueprints for devs
Drift detection and automatic remediation when infra slips out of sync
Manages Terraform state, locks concurrent runs, and queues deployments
SOC 2 Type II certified, with SSO, MFA, and private workers for secure ops
Let's you define dependencies between infrastructure stacks
Where it hits limits:
Might be overkill for orgs under 500 people, designed with enterprise in mind
The self-hosted version doesn’t have feature parity (e.g., fewer cloud integrations)
No built-in alerting on the free tier for completed deployments
How teams use it:
Spacelift listens for Git events, like commits or PRs, and kicks off an infra run when something changes. It reads your IaC files, plans changes, and enforces policies before anything goes live.
If a rule is violated (like provisioning in an unauthorized region), it’ll block the run. Teams often use their Blueprints to let devs spin up test environments, while ops teams keep governance tight. Stack dependencies let teams chain infra flows, like pushing staging to prod after approval, and post-deploy, Ansible playbooks can finish config work.
Pricing:
Has a free tier. Paid plans start at $399/month. Enterprise and business pricing are custom.
3. GitLab
GitLab isn’t just a repo host anymore, it’s grown into a full DevSecOps platform where code, pipelines, security, and compliance all live together. That’s huge for teams tired of stitching tools together.
In 2025, GitLab stands out for deeply embedding security into the CI/CD workflow, not as an add-on, but as a first-class citizen. It’s popular with enterprises and regulated industries looking to streamline delivery without letting guardrails slip.
What stands out:
SAST, DAST, secret scanning, SBOMs, fuzz testing, all built-in
GitLab Duo adds AI-assisted remediation, vulnerability analysis, and code suggestions
Merge request policies enforce security approvals before merging
Container scanning + Kubernetes integration for runtime protection
Unified security dashboard for vulnerability tracking and Jira sync
Generates SBOMs automatically to meet transparency regulations
Full CI/CD system with Git-based source control, pipelines, and versioned config
Where it hits limits:
Steep learning curve, especially for new users or smaller teams
Resource-hungry in self-hosted setups; needs serious infrastructure to run well
Frequent upgrades can be tricky for large orgs
Past concerns over repo confidentiality exist, though mitigated with strong internal scanning
How teams use it:
It starts with a commit or merge request. GitLab CI/CD kicks off the pipeline defined in .gitlab-ci.yml.yml.yml, running SAST, DAST, IaC scans, secret detection, and container scanning in separate stages. AI features help explain issues and suggest fixes. MRs can be blocked if security thresholds aren’t met. All issues get centralized in a security dashboard, where teams can open Jira tickets and track remediation. If everything passes, GitLab pushes to deploy and optionally runs post-deploy container checks.
Pricing:
Open-core model. Free for individuals and small teams. Premium tier is $29/user/month; Ultimate (with full security) is custom-priced.
4. Open Policy Agent (OPA)
OPA is the policy engine that gives you security and governance without hardcoding rules into every service. It separates what should be allowed from how your app runs.
In practice, this means teams can enforce fine-grained access control, deployment rules, and compliance checks, all in one consistent way across APIs, CI/CD, K8s, and cloud infra.
What stands out:
Decouples policy logic from enforcement
Uses Rego, a purpose-built language for defining policy over JSON-style data
Supports policy-as-code: version-controlled, auditable, and testable
Works with everything from Kubernetes to CI pipelines to API gateways
Validates IaC changes (like Terraform plans) before they hit prod
Enforces egress rules, image scanning policies, and access control across the stack
Can be embedded, run as a server, or hooked in via CLI tools like conftest
Where it hits limits:
Centralized OPA instances can become latency bottlenecks
High memory use if scaling without shared cache layers
Large volumes of explicit rules can slow startup times
Complex datasets may require advanced design to avoid performance issues
How teams use it:
OPA comes in when a system needs to make a decision, like “can this pod be deployed?” or “should this API call go through?” Devs write policies in Rego, and services query OPA with structured JSON input. In CI, it’s often paired with tools like conftest to validate Terraform plans before applying.
In K8s, it’s used as an admission controller to block insecure deployments. In APIs, it handles access control dynamically. OPA’s decisions are consumed by whatever system queried it, and that system acts accordingly.
Pricing:
Free and fully open-source under the Apache 2.0 license. No paid tiers. Commercial vendors may build around OPA, but the core engine is free to use at any scale.
5. Kubernetes
Kubernetes is the backbone of modern infrastructure. It lets teams deploy, scale, and manage containerized apps across clusters without needing to babysit every node.
But with all that power comes complexity, and risk. In 2025, Kubernetes isn’t just a container orchestrator; it’s a full-blown platform that demands tight security controls.
For dev teams running microservices at scale, it's unavoidable. And it’s exactly why DevSecOps needs to be part of the setup from day one.
What stands out:
Automates deployment, scaling, and recovery of containerized apps
Pod Security Standards enforce least privilege at the container level
Role-Based Access Control (RBAC) locks down permissions
Network Policies restrict pod communication to prevent lateral attacks
Integrates with policy engines (like OPA) to block insecure deployments
Secrets are injected at runtime, not baked into images
Kubernetes 1.33 adds fine-grained API control, stronger service tokens, and more.
Where it hits limits:
Steep learning curve, especially for teams new to containers
Lacks built-in observability, security scanning, and secret management
Overhead and cost can be too much for smaller teams or MVPs
How teams use it:
A typical flow starts with a container image that’s been scanned and approved. IaC configs for the K8s cluster are linted and checked for misconfigs. Admission controllers, often powered by OPA, validate policies like “no root containers” or “no privileged escalation.”
Secrets are pulled securely from the Vault. Network policies and RBAC restrict access. Once deployed, runtime tools like Falco watch for unusual behavior, and observability tools collect metrics for alerting and post-incident analysis.
Pricing:
Kubernetes itself is open-source and free. Managed services like EKS or AKS start around $0.10/hour per cluster, plus infrastructure costs. Enterprise-grade features (SLA, long-term support) can raise that to $0.60/hour.
6. Ansible
Ansible lets you automate almost anything, from spinning up servers to locking down firewalls, without having to install agents.
It’s scriptable, declarative, and super flexible. In DevSecOps, that means faster, safer, repeatable setups. Whether you’re patching servers, managing secrets, or responding to threats, Ansible turns repetitive work into clean, versioned playbooks.
What stands out:
Agentless, uses SSH/WinRM, no daemons to manage
Idempotent, playbooks always result in the same state
YAML-based playbooks are human-readable and easy to version
Automates security tasks like incident response and log collection
Supports policy-as-code with enforcement baked into playbooks
Works with security tools like Vault, KICS, Ansible Lint, and Molecule
Red Hat offers enterprise-grade features via the Ansible Automation Platform
Where it hits limits:
Advanced playbooks (templating, role design) can get complex fast
Stateless by design — not great for tracking infrastructure over time
Slower at massive scale compared to agent-based tools
How teams use it:
Security teams use Ansible to automate patching, blacklist IPs, or pull logs from firewalls. Devs write playbooks to configure environments or deploy apps, then test them using Molecule in containers. Before anything runs, Ansible Lint and KICS check playbooks for errors and misconfigurations.
Secrets are injected from the Vault, and the whole thing runs inside Jenkins or GitLab CI. It’s often used after provisioning to harden systems or during incidents to automate the response.
Pricing:
Open-source core is free. IBM’s AI-assisted tool starts around $2 per 20 task prompts. Red Hat’s commercial platform starts at ~$880/month via cloud marketplaces.
7. Puppet
Puppet helps teams define how their infrastructure should look — and then constantly makes sure it stays that way. It's a configuration management system that enforces “desired state,” meaning once you declare what you want, Puppet does the work of getting (and keeping) it there.
For security, that means automated patching, compliance, and remediation across big, complex environments, especially where manual config just isn’t feasible anymore.
What stands out:
Defines infra as code, and continuously enforces it
Supports policy-as-code using OPA and other tools
Automatically remediates config drift to maintain compliance
Integrates with Tenable and other scanners for vulnerability response
Patching workflows with blackout windows and live dashboards
Puppet Forge offers 7,000+ reusable modules
RBAC and self-service tools help secure access for distributed teams
Where it hits limits:
Written in Ruby, the learning curve can be tough for non-developers
Agent-based adds overhead on each node
Slower response for real-time changes due to pull-based model
Single point of failure risk if Puppet master goes down
How teams use it:
Configs are stored in Git and pulled by agents on each system. Puppet checks for changes regularly and fixes anything that’s drifted. Teams also use it with vulnerability scanners to patch or lock down systems automatically.
Pricing:
The open-source version is free. Puppet Enterprise and other plans are on request.
8. Prometheus + Grafana
Prometheus collects time-series metrics. Grafana visualizes them. Together, they form the heart of many teams’ observability stacks. While not security tools in the traditional sense, they’re essential for “shift-right” security, spotting unusual behavior, triggering alerts, and keeping tabs on the health of everything from containers to services to networks.
What stands out:
Prometheus scrapes and stores time-series data (CPU, memory, latency)
Flexible metrics model using labels for rich, multidimensional querying
PromQL lets you write powerful queries and alerts
Grafana turns raw metrics into interactive dashboards
Alerting rules in both tools notify teams of anomalies in real-time
Prometheus Exporters let you pull metrics from nearly any system
Can be integrated with logging tools like Loki for a full observability view
Where it hits limits:
Prometheus doesn’t support HA natively — scaling requires Thanos or similar
Multi-cluster monitoring is complex and often insecure without extra tools
Grafana has a learning curve, especially around queries and dashboard setup
How teams use it:
Prometheus scrapes metrics on a schedule, and Grafana visualizes them. Alerts are sent when something spikes or goes quiet, whether it's CPU usage or something suspicious.
Pricing:
Both tools are open-source and free to self-host. Hosted versions (e.g., Logit.io) start at $5/month and scale with data volume, retention period, and team size.
9. Elastic Stack (ELK)
The Elastic Stack, Elasticsearch, Logstash, and Kibana, is the engine behind many of the world’s most powerful logging and monitoring systems. In DevSecOps, it’s used to ingest logs, find patterns, and surface anomalies in real time.
Whether you’re tracking brute-force attempts or tracing suspicious traffic, ELK gives teams a way to understand what’s happening across their infrastructure at scale.
What stands out:
Elasticsearch indexes and searches logs at a massive scale
Logstash ingests and transforms logs from diverse sources
Kibana lets you visualize logs, trends, and threat activity
Beats lightweight agents send metrics and events from endpoints
Built-in detection rules for common attack patterns and misconfigurations
Supports audit logging for compliance workflows
Can correlate logs from app, infra, and cloud sources in one place
Where it hits limits:
Can become resource-hungry at scale
Managing retention and storage over time requires tuning
Self-hosted setups require expertise and ongoing maintenance
How teams use it:
Agents like Filebeat send logs to Logstash, which pipes them into Elasticsearch. Kibana is used to search, filter, and visualize what's going on, especially during incidents or audits.
Pricing:
Open-source core is free. Elastic’s hosted plans start with a free tier, with paid plans scaling based on ingestion volume, retention, and feature sets (e.g., alerting, ML). Exact pricing depends on deployment model.
For cloud-hosted they are: $114/mo, go up to $131/mo forthe three models they have.
10. Snyk
Snyk helps developers catch vulnerabilities in code, dependencies, containers, and infrastructure, before those issues reach production. It's built for devs who want to move fast, but still keep things secure. Snyk fits right into the developer workflow, scanning everything from npm packages to Docker images without slowing you down.
What stands out:
Scans for vulnerabilities in code, open-source packages, containers, and IaC
Provides actionable fixes, not just red flags
Can block pull requests if critical issues are found
Integrates with GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket, and major IDEs
Offers developer education and security insights in line
Comes with built-in license compliance checks
Tracks vulnerabilities over time and across projects
Where it hits limits:
Some advanced features are locked behind paid plans
Doesn’t offer deep runtime protection — focused on pre-deployment
Scans can be noisy if not tuned properly
How teams use it:
Snyk scans run on every push or PR. Results show up directly in the repo with suggested fixes. Teams can set up rules to fail builds if high-severity issues are detected. Some also integrate it into CI/CD pipelines or IDEs to catch issues as early as possible.
Pricing:
Free tier available. Paid plans start at $25/user/month for full scanning, reporting, and integrations. And has custom pricing for enterprises.
11. Spectral
Spectral focuses on keeping secrets and misconfigurations out of your repos. It's a scanning engine that’s fast, flexible, and built for developers. Think of it as a last line of defense before sensitive stuff, like credentials or tokens, leaks into your codebase.
What stands out:
Scans for secrets, keys, tokens, passwords, and sensitive patterns
Detects infrastructure misconfigurations in IaC files
High-speed scanning with almost no setup
LLetteams write custom rules to match internal patterns
Works locally, in CI/CD, or via SpectralOps Cloud
Helps reduce alert fatigue by surfacing real risks
Where it hits limits:
Focuses mainly on detection — doesn’t offer remediation suggestions
Requires tuning to avoid false positives in custom projects
Some advanced policy features may need the paid version
How teams use it:
Spectral is often added to CI pipelines to scan code at commit or merge. It flags any exposed secrets or misconfigurations right away. Some teams also use it locally via CLI before even pushing code.
Pricing:
Commercial product. Pricing details are not public in the PDF, but enterprise-grade integrations and automation are part of its offering.
12. Trivy
Trivy is a fast, open-source scanner for containers, IaC, and OS packages. It’s used by teams who want simple, no-fuss security checks that can be added anywhere, locally or in CI. Trivy’s strength is that it covers a lot without needing a lot of setup.
What stands out:
Scans container images, filesystems, and IaC for known vulnerabilities
Supports Docker, Kubernetes, Terraform, and more
Produces SBOMs and checks for license risks
Integrates with GitHub Actions, GitLab CI, and others
Offers a low-noise mode to focus on exploitable threats
Can output JSON or use templates for custom reports
Works offline, great for air-gapped environments
Where it hits limits:
No GUI — purely CLI-driven
Some users report high initial scan times on large repos
Doesn’t do runtime or behavioral analysis
How teams use it:
Trivy is commonly wired into CI/CD to scan containers and IaC before deploy. It's also run locally for quick pre-push checks. The --ignore-unfixed flag helps reduce noise and focus on fixable issues.
Pricing:
Completely free and open source. Enterprise support is available through Aqua Security.
13. Cloudflare
Cloudflare is known for speeding up websites, but it’s also one of the most widely used edge security platforms. It handles everything from DDoS protection to access control, without needing teams to manage heavy infrastructure.
For orgs building on the cloud, it’s a simple way to put guardrails around apps, APIs, and users.
What stands out:
DDoS protection is built into the network layer
Web Application Firewall (WAF) with managed rulesets
Zero Trust access control for apps and services
DNS filtering, rate limiting, and bot mitigation
Secure tunnels to protect internal apps without a VPN
Integrates with identity providers for SSO
Offers logging and analytics via Cloudflare Logs
Where it hits limits:
Can require a learning curve to configure rules properly
Not a fit for deep application-level scanning or in-depth vulnerability detection
Some enterprise features are gated behind higher tiers
How teams use it:
Cloudflare sits in front of your apps, filtering traffic and blocking known threats. DevSecOps teams use it to enforce zero-trust access, monitor traffic patterns, and limit exposure without adding internal complexity.
Pricing:
Free for basic CDN and DNS. Paid plans start at $20/month goes upto $200/mo for business, with Enterprise pricing for security features like WAF and Zero Trust access control.
14. Semgrep
Semgrep is a fast, lightweight code scanner that helps you catch bugs, misconfigurations, and security issues in your codebase, with patterns that are easy to customize. It feels more like grep with superpowers than a heavyweight scanner, which makes it great for dev teams who want something flexible.
What stands out:
Fast static code analysis for security, correctness, and style
Prebuilt rulesets for OWASP, GoSec, and more
Let's you write custom rules in simple YAML
Supports CI/CD integration and local dev usage
Can block PRs with policy violations
Keeps scanning results focused and readable
Good language support including Python, JS, Go, and Terraform
Where it hits limits:
No dynamic or runtime scanning
Custom rule writing can take time to get right
Needs tuning to avoid false positives in large codebases
How teams use it:
Semgrep runs in CI to scan for common bugs and risky patterns. Some teams also use it locally during development or as a guardrail in PR reviews.
Pricing:
Open source version is free. Paid plans (starting at $40/user/month) and Secrets plan at $20/dev/month.
15. Falco
Falco is a runtime security tool that monitors your containers and hosts for unexpected behavior. It’s designed for teams that need visibility into what’s happening inside workloads once they’re running, especially in Kubernetes environments.
What stands out:
Detects anomalous activity using real-time kernel-level monitoring
Comes with a default set of detection rules and supports custom rules
Designed for containers, Kubernetes, and cloud-native setups
Outputs alerts to standard systems like syslog or JSON
Lightweight and optimized for performance
Adopted as a CNCF incubating project
Where it hits limits:
Doesn’t provide pre-deployment scanning
Needs tuning for high-fidelity results
Custom rule writing requires effort
How teams use it:
Falco runs as a daemonset in Kubernetes or on hosts and watches system calls to identify suspicious activity. Alerts are piped into logging or alerting systems for review and action.
Pricing:
Open source
16. Cosign
Cosign is a tool for signing and verifying container images. It helps teams ensure that the images they build and deploy haven’t been tampered with, adding a layer of trust to the software supply chain.
What stands out:
Supports both keyless and key-based signing
Stores signatures as OCI artifacts in the container registry
Compatible with GitHub Actions and Kubernetes
Part of the Sigstore project for a secure software supply chain
CLI-first and built for automation
Open source and widely adopted
Where it hits limits:
The scope is limited to signing and verification
Setup for keyless signing requires familiarity with Sigstore
How teams use it:
Cosign is integrated into CI/CD to sign images at build time. Verification steps are added before deployment to ensure only trusted artifacts are used.
Pricing:
Open source
17. Calico
Calico is a networking and network security solution for containers and Kubernetes. It gives teams control over how workloads communicate, a critical need in multi-tenant or regulated environments.
What stands out:
Implements Kubernetes NetworkPolicy and its policy engine
Offers encryption, observability, and compliance features
Scales to multi-cluster and hybrid environments
Enterprise edition adds threat detection and visibility
Compatible with multiple orchestrators and CNI plugins
Supports eBPF and IPtables-based data planes
Where it hits limits:
Some features are only available in Calico Enterprise
Requires an understanding of Kubernetes networking to use effectively
How teams use it:
Teams define policies to restrict or allow traffic between pods and namespaces. Calico enforces these policies and provides visibility into traffic and security posture.
Pricing:
Open source core. Enterprise version available with advanced features.
18. SonarQube
SonarQube is a big name in this field, it is a code analysis tool that identifies bugs, security vulnerabilities, and maintainability issues across codebases. It’s used to help developers write cleaner, safer code.
What stands out:
Analyzes code for quality and security in a single scan
Supports over 25 programming languages
Offers detailed issue tracking and remediation advice
Integrates with CI/CD tools and IDEs
Commercial versions support branch analysis, PR scanning, and enterprise features
Where it hits limits:
Some important features are gated behind commercial editions
Best suited for pre-deployment scanning, not runtime checks
How teams use it:
SonarQube scans code during CI builds and flags issues early in the pipeline. Teams monitor code quality trends and act on feedback via dashboards and in-editor guidance.
Pricing:
Free Community Edition. Paid plans start at $32/month and scale by feature set. Has custom pricing for enterprises and multiple solutions.
19. New Relic
New Relic provides observability across systems, applications, and infrastructure. While not focused on security scanning, it supports incident investigation, performance monitoring, and alerting, all critical parts of a secure and stable DevOps workflow.
What stands out:
Offers a unified view of logs, metrics, traces, and events
Integrates with CI/CD tools and infrastructure platforms
Helps identify anomalies that may indicate security issues
Supports automated dashboards for audit and compliance
Part of New Relic’s observability and telemetry platform
Where it hits limits:
Doesn’t perform code or image scanning
Requires proper setup and tuning for useful results
How teams use it:
New Relic is used post-deployment to monitor system behavior. Teams review dashboards and alerts to catch performance changes, errors, or signs of compromise.
Pricing:
Free tier available. Paid plans scale by data usage and user seats, they are on request.
20. Checkov
Checkov helps you find security issues in your Infrastructure as Code (IaC) before deployment. Whether you're using Terraform, CloudFormation, or Kubernetes manifests, Checkov scans your configs and flags misconfigurations that could open you up to risk.
What stands out:
Scans Terraform, Kubernetes, Helm, CloudFormation, and more
Comes with 1,000+ built-in policies across frameworks
LLet'syou write custom rules using Python or JSON
Works in CI/CD pipelines with output formats like JSON, JUnit, or SARIF
Supports suppressions for known acceptable risks
Offers visual outputs for GitHub PRs and dashboards in Bridgecrew
Where it hits limits:
Focused only on IaC, not app code or container images
Complex policies may require fine-tuning
Needs rule management to reduce noise
How teams use it:
Teams integrate Checkov in CI/CD to scan IaC files automatically. It blocks insecure builds and helps with policy compliance by flagging issues before infrastructure gets provisioned.
Pricing:
Free and open source. Commercial support via Bridgecrew.
21. HashiCorp Vault
Vault manages secrets, plain and simple. It lets you store, access, and distribute credentials securely, whether you’re dealing with tokens, API keys, or database passwords.
What stands out:
Centralized secrets storage with dynamic access
Encrypts data at rest and in transit
Supports fine-grained access control using policies
Works with many backends (Kubernetes, AWS, databases)
Auto-rotates credentials to reduce exposure
Integrates with CI/CD systems to inject secrets on the fly
Where it hits limits:
Initial setup and policy configuration can be complex
Some advanced features are gated behind the enterprise edition
Can become a single point of failure without an HA setup
How teams use it:
Vault is typically used to inject secrets into CI/CD workflows, manage dynamic credentials, and lock down who can access what across environments.
Pricing:
Free open-source version. Enterprise edition offers advanced controls and UI.
22. OWASP ZAP
ZAP is an open-source web application security scanner created by the OWASP Foundation, now owned by Checkmarx. It helps teams find vulnerabilities in web apps, especially during development and testing.
What stands out:
Scans for common web security issues like XSS, SQL injection
Intercepts and manipulates traffic for manual testing
Supports automated and interactive modes
Easy to plug into CI/CD pipelines
Constantly updated community-driven rulesets
Designed for both beginners and pros
Where it hits limits:
Best suited for web apps, not for APIs or non-HTTP services
Scan depth and accuracy depend on configuration and tuning
How teams use it:
ZAP is often integrated into automated test pipelines or used manually by security engineers to test dev and staging environments. It helps catch web vulnerabilities early without needing expensive commercial tools.
Pricing:
Completely free and open source.
23. Veracode
Veracode is a full-stack security platform offering SAST, DAST, and software composition analysis. It’s built for larger teams that need centralized, policy-driven security across apps.
What stands out:
Offers dynamic, static, and supply chain testing on one platform
Integrates into CI/CD and SDLC tools
Risk-based insights prioritize what needs fixing
AI-assisted remediation speeds up fixes
Enterprise dashboards for compliance and reporting
External Attack Surface Management (EASM) included
Where it hits limits:
Geared toward enterprise use, the setup may feel heavy for small teams
Not open source
Pricing can scale quickly
How teams use it:
DevSecOps teams use Veracode to scan codebases at different stages, source code, dependencies, running apps, and triage results across teams with centralized dashboards.
Pricing:
Commercial. Pricing depends on app size, features, and seat count.
24. Checkmarx
Checkmarx helps secure application code through automated static analysis (SAST). It’s developer-focused and part of a broader platform for software supply chain security.
What stands out:
Deep SAST scanning with detailed results
Supports many languages and frameworks
Includes AI-enhanced remediation suggestion
Integrated dashboards for visibility across teams
Handles custom code and open-source components
Can block builds or merges if issues are found
Where it hits limits:
Setup and tuning can be complex
Works best as part of a larger Checkmarx platform
Commercial only
How teams use it:
Teams use Checkmarx to scan for code-level vulnerabilities during development. The insights feed into review processes and compliance workflows.
Pricing:
Everything is on request.
25. Fortify
Fortify by Opentext is a mature security testing suite that offers SAST, DAST, and IAST. It’s often used by large enterprises with strict compliance needs.
What stands out:
Covers static, dynamic, and interactive testing
Works across on-prem and cloud environments
Supports secure coding practices through IDE plugins
Scalable for large orgs with multiple teams and apps
Backed by Micro Focus, with long-term support
Offers robust reporting for audits and compliance
Where it hits limits:
Resource-heavy to run
Needs expertise to fine-tune results and workflows
Not open source
How teams use it:
Fortify is typically part of a broader application security program. It’s run at multiple points in the SDLC, from coding in IDEs to post-deploy scans.
Pricing:
Commercial. Tiered pricing based on testing types and scale.
Conclusion
Thanks for reading! Hope this gave you a clearer view of the DevSecOps landscape and helped you spot a few tools worth trying out.
Every tool on this list serves a slightly different purpose, and honestly, there’s no one-size-fits-all answer.
It depends on your stack, your team’s workflow, and how deep you want to go on security. The good news? Almost all of these tools are built for businesses and offer free demos or open-source versions you can try before committing.
If you're curious to see how this all comes together in one place, static analysis, IaC scanning, secrets detection, compliance, CodeAnt.ai is a solid way to get started 😉, book a free demo, and you will see why we are pushing it that much. It's built for real dev teams trying to ship securely without slowing down. You can request a free organic demo anytime.
Security doesn't have to be a blocker. With the right tools in place, it can help you ship better code, faster.
Thanks again for sticking around.
