Top 7 SAST tools for DevSecOps Teams in 2025

What are SAST tools and what role do they play in DevSecOps? 

SAST (Static Application Security Testing) tools are crucial for DevSecOps, enabling automated code analysis to identify vulnerabilities early in the development lifecycle. They analyze source code without execution, detecting issues like SQL injection, XSS, and buffer overflows. 

Popular SAST tools used by DevSecOps teams include Mend, Checkmarx, Snyk, Veracode, BlackDuck, SonarQube, and Semgrep. Integrating SAST into CI/CD pipelines ensures continuous security checks as code is developed. 

Unlike dynamic testing approaches, SAST tools operate early in the software development lifecycle (SDLC). This method identifies coding flaws, unsafe patterns, and potential vulnerabilities before code moves to later stages like deployment or production. By incorporating SAST tools into their DevSecOps workflows, organizations can significantly improve their application security posture, reduce the risk of breaches, and build more secure software.

Key benefits of SAST tools in DevSecOps 

Static application security testing plays a crucial role in DevSecOps by embedding security into every stage of the development process. Here are the key benefits of using SAST tools:

• Product velocity: Modern SAST solutions deliver security feedback quickly and in context, so developers can address issues without slowing down feature delivery. This helps teams maintain release speed while keeping security integrated into the workflow.
• Efficient remediation process: By using AI to triage and prioritize findings, SAST tools reduce the noise of false positives and low-risk alerts. They also generate remediation guidance, allowing developers to fix flaws more effectively and ensuring that the most critical vulnerabilities are resolved first.
• Broad technology coverage: SAST tools evolve to support new programming languages, frameworks, and platforms, including those used in AI-assisted development. This ensures that security analysis keeps pace with modern application architectures and technology stacks.
• Regulatory and compliance support: They help demonstrate compliance with standards like OWASP Top 10, PCI DSS, or ISO 27001 by systematically identifying and remediating common vulnerabilities.
• Scalability across teams: SAST tools scale well across large codebases and multiple teams, making them suitable for enterprises managing many applications and developers.
• Reduced technical debt: By fixing issues early, SAST reduces the accumulation of vulnerabilities and code issues that can become costly to resolve later.

Notable SAST tools for DevSecOps

1. Mend.io

Mend SAST is a static application security testing solution designed for accuracy, speed, and developer adoption. Its enhanced engine identifies vulnerabilities in source code with high precision and recall, helping teams remediate real risks earlier in the SDLC without slowing down development.

General features include:

• Broad language and framework coverage across modern application stacks
• Automated AI-generated fixes with clear, contextual remediation guidance
• Best-fix location identification to point developers to the most effective remediation spots
• Configurable policies to align security scanning with organizational risk tolerance
• Gen-2 engine with +38% precision and +48% recall improvements vs. benchmarks

DevSecOps features include:

• IDE integration (VS Code, IntelliJ, Eclipse, Cursor, JetBrains) for real-time developer feedback
• CI/CD integration with GitHub Actions, GitLab CI, Jenkins, and more for automated pipeline scanning
• Incremental scanning to analyze only changed code, reducing time and compute costs
• False-positive reduction through machine learning and expert-reviewed queries
• Unified dashboards, reporting, and analytics to help teams triage vulnerabilities and track progress

2. Checkmarx

Checkmarx is a SAST solution that prioritizes speed, accuracy, and developer usability. It allows organizations to identify vulnerabilities in the source code without requiring compilation or a running application. 

General features include:

• Adaptive vulnerability scanning for fast, relevant results based on application criticality
• Scan uncompiled code without needing to build or run the application
• AI query builder to create custom queries and reduce manual tuning
• Best fix location guidance to direct developers to the most effective remediation points
• Wide language & framework coverage supporting over 75 languages and 100 frameworks

DevSecOps features include:

• IDE and CI/CD integration to enable scanning and feedback in development pipelines
• Incremental scanning to analyze only changed code, improving scan times and efficiency
• AI security champion to support developers with smart remediation guidance
• False positive reduction with expert-reviewed queries and professional tuning services
• Unified dashboards and analytics for managing and triaging vulnerabilities across teams

Source: Checkmarx

3. Snyk Code

Snyk Code is a SAST solution that scans source code and offers pre-validated, context-aware fixes directly within the developer’s workflow. With its self-hosted AI engine and expansive vulnerability knowledge base, it helps teams find and prioritize high-risk issues quickly, reduce false positives, and remediate vulnerabilities faster. 

General features include:

• Scanning in IDEs and pull requests without needing to build the application
• Automated remediation using pre-validated fixes via Snyk Agent Fix
• Actionable, context-aware results with in-line fix suggestions and developer-friendly explanations
• Broad language and framework support, including extensive coverage of LLM-related libraries
• Continuous machine learning from millions of open source data flows

DevSecOps features include:

• In-workflow testing with automatic scanning of every pull request and repository
• CI/CD security gates to block risky code at build time
• Prioritized risk detection that focuses on newly deployed, exposed, or high-impact vulnerabilities
• Developer empowerment with security insights embedded directly into daily development routines
• Integrated IDE support for fixing issues before they enter the codebase

Source: Snyk

4. Veracode

Veracode is an application risk management platform that identifies and remediates software security risks. It combines AI-assisted fixes, scanning across hundreds of languages and frameworks, and governance capabilities across the SDLC.

General features include:

• Application risk management platform that identifies security risks, applies AI-powered remediation, and unifies governance, risk, and compliance across the development lifecycle.
• Performs code scanning across hundreds of languages and frameworks, enabling broad coverage for diverse application stacks and technology choices.
• Uses root cause analysis to prioritize findings and direct remediation toward issues most likely to introduce risk in production.
• Secures applications that incorporate or are built using AI-generated code, addressing risks introduced by generative tooling and automated code contributions.
• Protects software supply chains by assessing third-party libraries and open-source contributions, extending coverage beyond proprietary code to dependencies and components.

DevSecOps features include:

• Integrates security practices across all SDLC phases, connecting tools and workflows so security checks occur continuously alongside development activities.
• Provides developer-centric guidance within existing workflows to accelerate remediation and help teams apply precise fixes earlier in development.
• Reduces false positives using proprietary research and AI-driven techniques, improving triage and allowing security teams to focus on verified issues.
• Enables visibility into application risk across the organization, supporting policy enforcement, prioritization, and governance for executives and security leaders.
• Accelerates remediation by prioritizing critical flaws and applying fixes quickly, aligning findings to root causes for efficient, targeted action.

Source: Veracode

5. BlackDuck

BlackDuck is an application security platform focused on software supply chain assurance and risk management. It supports SBOM management, orchestrates testing across tools, and integrates across the SDLC and CI/CD pipelines.

General features include:

• All-in-one application security platform optimized for DevSecOps, orchestrating and correlating tests across tools and vendors to maintain development speed.
• Secures the software supply chain with SBOM management and controls that address dependencies throughout the application lifecycle.
• Provides enterprise-scale risk management by simplifying application security workflows and centralizing visibility aligned to organizational policies and objectives.
• Supports building secure, reliable, and compliant software for safety-critical systems where defect-free operation is required.
• Automates scanning across development environments and CI/CD pipelines to integrate security without impeding software delivery velocity.

DevSecOps features include:

• Integrates across the SDLC and CI/CD, automating tests and correlating results to apply security consistently within development pipelines.
• Manages risks associated with AI-generated code, aligning security practices to modern development workflows influenced by generative tooling.
• Prioritizes and acts based on defined policies using automated workflows and correlated risk insights to focus attention on material issues.
• Supports role-based collaboration across developers, security teams, and leadership by clarifying responsibilities and expected outcomes for risk management.
• Provides centralized visibility for enterprise-scale programs, reducing complexity when managing heterogeneous tools, applications, and compliance requirements.

Source: BlackDuck

6. SonarQube

SonarQube is a static application security testing solution that integrates into development workflows to ensure secure and high-quality code. It analyzes source code to detect vulnerabilities, bugs, and code smells across more than 30 programming languages. It extends visibility into third-party open-source libraries by tracing data flows into and out of dependencies.

General features include:

• Code analysis for security vulnerabilities, bugs, and maintainability issues
• Support for 30 languages including Java, C#, JavaScript, Python, C++, PHP, and TypeScript
• Security hotspots help developers learn secure coding practices by reviewing risky code
• Vulnerability descriptions with in-line code highlights and fix guidance
• Compliance reporting aligned with OWASP Top 10, PCI DSS, CWE Top 25, and STIG

DevSecOps features include:

• SAST with dependency flow analysis to detect issues in open-source libraries and their transitive dependencies
• Taint analysis engine to track untrusted user input across methods and files, identifying injection and data flow risks
• CI/CD integration with GitHub, GitLab, Azure DevOps, CircleCI, TravisCI, and Bitbucket
• Pull request decoration provides instant issue review and feedback directly in version control interfaces
• Security reports for compliance that benchmark against standards and help demonstrate release readiness

Source: SonarQube

7. Semgrep

Semgrep is a static analysis platform intended to minimize false positives and bring security into the developer workflow. By combining traditional SAST techniques with AI-powered noise filtering and remediation, it helps security teams and developers focus on actionable findings. 

General features include:

• Fast CI/CD scanning with median scan times around 10 seconds
• Works across 30 languages and frameworks including JavaScript, Python, Go, Ruby, and TypeScript
• No customization required to get high-signal SAST out-of-the-box
• Transparent rule language that makes writing and troubleshooting rules simple
• Flexible deployment options from local CLI to full CI/CD pipelines and API integrations

DevSecOps features include:

• AI-powered noise filtering to eliminate false positives before they reach developers
• Dataflow reachability analysis reduces noise in critical vulnerability reports 
• Semgrep Assistant provides tailored remediation steps and auto-fix suggestions in pull requests
• Memory feature learns from previous triage decisions to prevent repetitive alerts
• Policy-as-code guardrails help enforce secure coding practices at scale

Source: Semgrep

Related content: Read our guide to best SAST tools 

Conclusion

SAST tools strengthen DevSecOps workflows by embedding automated, consistent security testing into daily development activities. They help teams detect vulnerabilities early, enforce secure coding practices at scale, and maintain compliance with security standards, all without slowing down delivery. When adopted as part of a broader secure development strategy, SAST ensures that application security evolves in step with modern software practices.