Application Security Platform

Semgrep serves as an open-source static application security testing tool for my organization. We work under a microservices model with multiple repositories, around eight in total. Whenever we make any code changes, Semgrep scans the whole repository, trying to find security vulnerabilities, bugs, or coding standard violations that might have been missed before peer-to-peer review. It gives us security scanning results and allows us to implement custom rules created in Semgrep, which is integrated with our CI/CD pipeline, such as Jenkins or GitLab. Whenever a pull request is made, Semgrep scans the entire repository and identifies security bugs and code vulnerabilities before any human review.

A quick specific example of how Semgrep helped me catch something important is when we were using Java across multiple repositories while utilizing GCP tokens as our cloud provider. In one of our pipeline files, someone printed a private key token in the console during a pull request review. Semgrep flagged this issue, alerting us that this private key was vulnerable and should never be printed in the console. This was caught before it reached production. Additionally, Semgrep suggested best practices such as encrypting passwords before saving them, which were enhancements we previously overlooked.

Some of the best features Semgrep offers include its capability to integrate with over 30 languages. Our eight repositories consist of Java, Python, Node, and JavaScript. It operates very fast by creating an index to find changes rather than analyzing the entire repository on each commit, thereby scanning large codebases in minutes. Additionally, we can create our own pattern-based rules, which is an essential feature for us.

Setting up custom pattern-based rules is easy, and we use them often for our team's needs. There is no specific coding language or technical skill required; we only need to create a YAML file, which anyone can write and use.

Furthermore, Semgrep can integrate with Integrated Development Environments such as VS Code or IntelliJ. Some of the latest IDEs allow integration, enabling developers to scan the entire codebase directly from their development environment, so it is not only restricted to the CI/CD pipeline.

Semgrep has positively impacted our organization by improving code quality and helping us eliminate vulnerabilities in our code. It allows for faster development since it autonomously reviews repositories and identifies vulnerabilities before a human review, leading to enhanced code quality and automated security testing.

Regarding improvements for Semgrep, I have noticed that it occasionally provides false positive results, although it does not happen consistently. That is the only major improvement I can think of, aside from the fact that the pricing is reasonable. It performs well; I only wish it could fine-tune the rules to reduce false positives.

Regarding any needed improvements, particularly about the UI, I do not have anything to add because it is very simple and easy to use. Anyone can understand it without difficulty, and the pricing seems fair as well. The only issue I see is the sporadic occurrences of false positive results, as previously mentioned.

I have been using Semgrep for around two years.

Semgrep is stable, as far as my experience indicates.

In terms of scalability, I have witnessed Semgrep handle our eight repositories effectively, and throughout our organization, we operate around 150 repositories with a microservices architecture. It effectively scans even very large repositories in just minutes, demonstrating its high scalability.

Concerning customer support, I have not had any use cases that required assistance. However, the documentation is excellent. When I created custom rules, I had some doubts, and the documentation was very helpful, simple, and easy to understand.

Previously, we used SonarQube, but we switched because SonarQube is oriented more towards bug fixing and lacks the focus on security analysis we needed.

The setup is straightforward, requiring no advanced technical knowledge.

We have indeed seen a return on investment with Semgrep, primarily through time savings and improved code quality.

My experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing has been positive. Initially, we used a free plan for demo and testing purposes, but once we fully integrated it into our company, it has proven to be price-efficient at around $30 a month.

Before choosing Semgrep, I did not evaluate other options aside from SonarQube, which we migrated from to implement Semgrep instead.

Although not directly in the development process, Semgrep has saved substantial time in the review process. For instance, when a developer raises a pull request, Semgrep automatically reviews it before another developer or manager does. This saves a lot of time in reviewing features. Semgrep has detected over 150 vulnerabilities across our eight repositories, and it takes minimal time to scan the full repository, which is one of its best aspects.

I would rate Semgrep a 9 out of 10. I chose a nine out of ten mainly because of the occasional false positive results I mentioned earlier; that is the only thing preventing me from giving it a full score.

Regarding Semgrep's AI capabilities, it serves as a security tool to check for vulnerabilities in code. From my experience, it has successfully identified over 150 security vulnerabilities in our code, and I find it completely reliable in terms of security.

My advice for others considering Semgrep is that if you have large repositories, there are very few tools on the market that can provide security scanning and identify vulnerabilities quickly. Semgrep is one of those tools that performs very efficiently. If security is a concern for you, I recommend trying the free version first; if it proves beneficial for your organization, then make an organizational decision to onboard it.

My main use case is to perform SAST, static application security testing. I have been using it for the last 10 months. Initially, I was planning to use it just for the code review part so that developers can get secure code. However, it can also be integrated in CI/CD pipelines and other tools, which makes it robust.

I deployed Semgrep with my development team in their IDEs, such as VS Code and other notebook tools that my developers use. Semgrep helps to identify code-level issues, such as the possibility of SQL injection, XSS, or hard-coded values. It initially triggers alerts and shows which aspects are not correct and need correction.

First, it is very easy to use. It has customization features that allow me to customize it to find particular types of vulnerabilities that I am looking for. There is scanning efficiency which allows for rapid issue detection early in the development process. The customizable rule engine is the best thing because I can customize it according to my needs.

I can customize my rules according to my needs. The YAML file is easy to write. A person with good basic knowledge of coding can generate custom rules particular to the type of vulnerability they are targeting. Therefore, it is customizable.

The feature is easy to use, saves a lot of time, and is streamlined in nature. That is the best aspect.

It has helped my code review part significantly. It saves around two to three hours per day of going through each line of code to find mistakes and identify issues that are present at the code level. Code review is a tedious task for any security engineer or developer to do, so it helps tremendously while reviewing code.

By avoiding these tedious tasks, my team gets to focus on other important tasks that are required. Sometimes there are urgent tasks that need to be done before code reviews can be completed. The time I save is utilized elsewhere, which effectively benefits my team.

Semgrep can be improved by making it more user-friendly. There are tools in the market, such as Aqua Security, that have features worth utilizing. However, there are some comprehensive scanning capabilities which I feel Semgrep lacks. For code-level review, it is very good.

I have been using Semgrep for around nine to 10 months for detection of security flaws in the code.

It is stable in nature.

It is also good. I can scale it for small to large-scale teams. I can use it with a small number of people or a large-sized team.

Customer support is good because I have not needed much customer support until now, which is very good. I think that is a good part. Their documentation and community are very active, so most of the time when problems occur, I get a solution.

I have used SonarQube. However, the results of Semgrep are much better. I compared them both, so I switched to Semgrep only, and it works very well. I do not have to pay any licensing fee or anything like that. It has been good to work with Semgrep.

I evaluated a tool such as SonarQube, which is in the market and is also open-source. However, the results provided by Semgrep are much more effective and efficient with fewer false positives. The number of true positives is higher, which effectively saves time from checking whether false positives are right or wrong.

The accuracy I would rate at 85 to 90%. Sometimes it gives false positives, but compared to its peers, it is better.

At a team level, I can say that per day I save around two hours, which can result in eight hours a week. Monthly, I save around 30 to 35 hours because of this.

The best case is that it solves a lot of things, and for the vulnerabilities that will arise in the future, I solve them at the initial stage.

It is basically open-source, so the cost to set up is no cost.

If you are looking for an open-source tool that can perform SAST in your environment and you are a technical person with a team that can grasp new technologies in a short period of time, then you can use Semgrep directly to perform SAST and code reviews at the development level. Early detection of security issues and bugs can be fixed.

It streamlines with the governance and compliance of the country where the company operates. It follows GDPR guidelines and EU guidelines. In India, I follow certain guidelines, so it also passes that criteria to go through those guidelines and follow the restrictions and suggestions provided at a national level.

My main use case for Semgrep is as a SAST tool. Since I work with code directly, I use it to scan the code for vulnerabilities and relay information to developers so they can address any issues. This approach ensures I maintain a security focus as a DevOps person, which is crucial.

Semgrep fits into my workflow by allowing me to scan code and ensure there are no breaches before running it in containers.

The best feature of Semgrep is its ability to highlight high priority issues during scanning, making it critical for developers to address these vulnerabilities promptly. This seamless process enhances efficiency and expedites issue resolution within our systems.

I find Semgrep's user-friendliness valuable, allowing me to run scans easily with simple commands, which clearly indicate vulnerabilities and their priority levels, effectively meeting my needs.

When receiving high-priority findings, I act as a DevOps person who incorporates security into my culture by notifying developers about issues I find and urging them to check the code. I advocate that all developers have Semgrep installed on their laptops, ensuring they avoid pushing vulnerable code.

The impact of Semgrep on my organization includes the recommendation I made as an external consultant to incorporate it into projects. It is easy for developers to use and helps monitor our security posture by scanning code before production pushes.

Since implementing Semgrep, I have noticed significant outcomes. For example, I can resolve vulnerabilities that previously took four days in under a day, saving both time and money, thus enhancing our return on investment.

Semgrep needs ongoing improvements, and gathering user feedback will help enhance its effectiveness and provide better solutions globally.

I suggest improving documentation and integrating agentic AI to help users get quicker answers to security problems when scanning.

That first use was in 2022, so that is about four years now, and I continue to use Semgrep on my MacBook, finding it very useful, and I still recommend it to developers.

Semgrep is absolutely stable.

Semgrep's scalability is impressive, being designed as cloud-native and cloud-agnostic, making it easy to integrate and grow within any environment without concern for crashes.

I have not contacted Semgrep's customer service because their documentation usually provides solutions for my inquiries.

I have not used any solution prior to Semgrep.

I find Semgrep's pricing and setup reasonable and recommended its installation for developers to facilitate code scanning and avoid vulnerabilities.

The return on investment from using Semgrep is evident as I save time and money. For example, tasks that previously took days are completed in significantly less time, enabling faster business responses and improved profit margins.

I did not evaluate other options before choosing Semgrep. I found it through an online review and decided to try it based on that.

My advice for others considering Semgrep is to adopt it, as it stands out in the open-source market and shows solid growth. You can trust it based on its innovative developments.

I believe Semgrep will scale effectively with the rise of agentic AI and security needs, leading to broader adoption among companies. Sharing wins at open-source conferences will help demonstrate its potential impact.

I rate this review an 8.