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Choosing the right DevSecOps tools can significantly enhance security integration in the software development lifecycle and improve compliance, risk management, and deployment speed - whether you need to automate security checks, enforce policies, or mitigate vulnerabilities early in development.

However, finding the best fit can feel overwhelming with so many options available - and the challenge of balancing security with development efficiency.

In this article, I draw on my experience as a DevSecOps specialist and hands-on testing of dozens of security automation tools to break down their capabilities, ideal use cases, and how they can help you achieve faster, more secure software delivery with minimal disruption to development workflows.

What is a DevSecOps Tool?

A DevSecOps tool is a specialized software designed to integrate and automate security within DevOps, creating an absolute collaboration between development and operations teams. Typically used by developers, IT professionals, and security experts, these tools help to proactively scan vulnerabilities, manage security risks, and ensure compliance in an increasingly complex and threat-prone digital environment.

Their use extends to fostering secure coding practices, managing software supply chains, monitoring web applications and infrastructure in real time, and responding swiftly to security incidents.

With these tools, you'll gain a robust security platform with Software Composition Analysis (SCA), static code analysis, and access control that ensures code quality while warding off cybersecurity malware. By placing security at the heart of software development and deployment, DevSecOps tools empower teams to create solid, secure products.

Best DevSecOps Tools Summary

Best DevSecOps Tools Reviews

Best for performance engineering and analysis

  • Free trial available + free demo
  • Pricing upon request
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Rating: 4.3/5

New Relic is a tool that offers observability and real-time analytics to help developers and operations teams understand, debug, and improve the performance of their applications. Its strong focus on performance analysis and engineering excels at helping teams refine and maintain high-quality, high-performance applications.

Why I Picked New Relic: I picked New Relic due to its robust suite of features aimed at performance analysis, including detailed analytics and flexible data visualizations. This tool offers real-time insights for developers to quickly address performance issues, making it the top choice for performance engineering and analysis.

Standout features & integrations:

New Relic features extensive real-time analytics, distributed tracing, and error tracking, which are critical for a detailed understanding of application performance.

It also integrates with various other tools like AWS, Azure, and GCP, thus extending its functionality across multiple platforms.

Pros and cons

Pros:

  • Broad range of integrations
  • Real-time insights for faster troubleshooting
  • Powerful performance analytics

Cons:

  • Customization can be complex
  • Steep learning curve for some users
  • Higher price point

Best for AI-driven end-to-end testing

  • 14-day free trial
  • Pricing upon request
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Rating: 4.5/5

mabl is an intelligent end-to-end test automation platform that offers AI-driven testing capabilities. As the solution is equipped with machine learning algorithms, it proves highly effective at managing and executing complex testing scenarios, justifying its standing as the best for AI-driven end-to-end testing.

Why I Picked mabl: In my evaluation, mabl stood out for its innovative application of AI to the testing landscape. I chose mabl because it allows teams to create, execute, and maintain reliable tests quickly. What makes it unique is its use of machine learning to adapt tests as your application evolves - this feature truly justifies its place as the best for AI-driven end-to-end testing.

Standout features & integrations:

mabl's AI learning capabilities truly set it apart - it auto-heals tests, meaning they evolve with your application, saving significant time during the testing phase. Furthermore, its easy-to-read test output helps users identify issues quickly.

On the integration front, mabl plays well with others, providing integration with popular CI/CD and IDE tools such as Jenkins, Bamboo, CircleCI, and more.

Pros and cons

Pros:

  • Clear and useful test output
  • Extensive integration capabilities
  • Intelligent auto-healing tests

Cons:

  • Limited capabilities for performance testing
  • Requires learning to fully utilize AI capabilities
  • Could be pricey for small teams

Best for full-stack application monitoring

  • Free trial available
  • From $15/user/month (billed annually)
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Rating: 4.3/5

Datadog is a powerful tool designed to provide extensive full-stack application monitoring. With its in-depth insights across your entire stack, it firmly earns the title of the best comprehensive application surveillance tool.

Why I Picked Datadog: I chose Datadog for its unmatched ability to delve deep into every layer of your applications. Its breadth of monitoring capabilities stands out, uniquely suited for teams seeking a thorough understanding of their entire stack. That's why it's the best for full-stack application monitoring.

Standout features & integrations:

Datadog offers real-time performance dashboards, extensive automation, and advanced alerting capabilities. These features empower you to stay proactive about potential issues.

On the integration front, Datadog supports many platforms, including AWS, Google Cloud, Azure, and many more, ensuring compatibility with your existing infrastructure.

Pros and cons

Pros:

  • Wide range of integrations
  • Extensive automation features
  • Comprehensive full-stack monitoring

Cons:

  • Can be overwhelming due to the sheer volume of data
  • Higher cost compared to some alternatives
  • Can be complex for beginners

Best for creating form endpoints in minutes

  • From $10/user/month
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Rating: 5/5

Headlessforms is a specialized tool that helps developers quickly set up form endpoints. This ability to facilitate speedy form creation makes it an optimal choice for tasks requiring swift form integration, cementing its place as the best for creating form endpoints in minutes.

Why I Picked Headlessforms: When it comes to setting up forms, speed and reliability matter, that’s why I picked Headlessforms. Its emphasis on rapid-form endpoint creation makes it a standout. This tool does a specific job well, which is why it's best for anyone needing to create form endpoints in record time.

Standout features & integrations:

Headlessforms offers a streamlined form creation process that bypasses server setup, a huge timesaver. It also delivers robust spam filtering features, an essential open-source component of any form tool.

For integrations, Headlessforms shines by providing webhooks that can easily connect with any of your existing systems.


Pros and cons

Pros:

  • Versatile webhooks for integrations
  • Strong spam filtering
  • Swift form endpoint creation

Cons:

  • Lack of advanced customization options
  • Might be overkill for occasional form creators
  • Limited to form-related tasks

Best for real-time observability and analytics

  • From $10/user/month (billed annually)

Edge Delta is a cutting-edge DevSecOps tool with real-time observability and analytics powered by machine learning. Get immediate insights into your system's performance and security.

Why I Picked Edge Delta: Edge Delta delivers a powerful solution for observability and analytics that sets it apart. It harnesses real-time data to give you insight into your DevOps processes. I chose it for the list due to its exceptional capacity to handle massive volumes of data with minimal latency, enabling instant response to potential issues. It shines as the best for real-time observability and analytics, as its performance-focused design ensures timely and accurate insight.

Standout features & integrations:

Edge Delta boasts the ability to process and analyze data at the source, a unique feature that can drastically reduce costs and time for data transport and storage. Its autonomous monitoring capability also canenables you to pinpoint issues swiftly and reliably.

For integrations, it stands strong with major data platforms such as AWS, Azure, GCP, and more, providing a highly compatible solution that fits into diverse technological ecosystems.

Pros and cons

Pros:

  • Broad compatibility with major data platforms
  • Autonomous monitoring capability
  • Efficient real-time analytics

Cons:

  • Customization options can be overwhelming
  • The cost may be higher for smaller DevSecOps teams
  • Requires a steep learning curve for new users

Best for Salesforce-specific DevOps

  • From $125/user/month (billed annually)

Flosum is a comprehensive DevOps solution designed specifically for Salesforce. It provides robust tools for version control, continuous integration, and deployment, simplifying the whole Salesforce development lifecycle. With its Salesforce-focused features, it is indeed best for teams working primarily with Salesforce.

Why I Picked Flosum: In my selection process, Flosum stood out due to its targeted capabilities for Salesforce environments. It is distinct in providing a complete DevOps solution tailored to Salesforce, including features such as rollback, version control, and deployment. Therefore, I determined it would be the best tool for Salesforce-specific DevOps.

Standout features & integrations:

Flosum offers robust version control, impeccable deployments, and a comprehensive rollback feature that distinguishes it from other DevOps tools.

Moreover, Flosum integrates smoothly with other Salesforce solutions, providing a unified environment for Salesforce development.

Pros and cons

Pros:

  • Absolute integration with Salesforce solutions
  • Comprehensive DevOps features
  • Tailored for Salesforce environments

Cons:

  • Initial setup can be complex
  • May be over-specialized for non-Salesforce teams
  • Relatively high pricing

Best for container and Kubernetes security

  • Pricing upon request.

Sysdig offers comprehensive security and visibility for cloud-native platforms, including containers and Kubernetes. The tool aims to ensure the security and reliability of your applications running on these modern infrastructures. Given its thorough security metrics for containers and Kubernetes, Sysdig qualifies as the best tool for this use case.

Why I Picked Sysdig: I selected Sysdig due to its powerful approach to container and Kubernetes security. Its differentiating factor is the profound visibility it provides into Kubernetes services and workloads, along with the tool's strong emphasis on incident response. I believe Sysdig is the best tool for securing container and Kubernetes environments, offering an exceptional balance of prevention, detection, and response capabilities.

Standout features & integrations:

Sysdig delivers key features such as container runtime security, Kubernetes audit and compliance, and automated incident response. Additionally, it comes with an intuitive UI that visualizes threat and compliance data.

It integrates with Kubernetes, Docker, AWS, GCP, Azure, and numerous CI/CD pipelines, making it a perfect fit for diverse development environments.

Pros and cons

Pros:

  • Wide range of cloud and CI/CD integrations
  • Robust container runtime security
  • Deep visibility into Kubernetes workloads

Cons:

  • The free tier has significant limitations
  • The interface might be complex for beginners
  • Pricing can quickly increase with additional features

Best for identifying risks in Infrastructure as Code

  • Pricing upon request

Wiz IaC Scanning is designed to identify risks in Infrastructure as Code (IaC) configurations. It provides insight into potential vulnerabilities, misconfigurations, and compliance issues in your IaC setup. Because of its focused abilities on IaC risk detection, Wiz IaC Scanning is best for those looking to secure their infrastructure setup.

Why I Picked Wiz IaC Scanning: I chose Wiz IaC Scanning for this list because of its unique commitment to identifying IaC risks. It stands out with its ability to scan Terraform, CloudFormation, Kubernetes, and other IaC configurations, providing an in-depth analysis tool that not all tools offer. With its robust IaC risk detection capabilities, I judged Wiz IaC Scanning as the best tool for identifying risks in Infrastructure as Code.

Standout features & integrations:

Wiz IaC Scanning provides a comprehensive overview of potential risks in your IaC setup. It includes misconfiguration detection, compliance assessments, and risk prioritization.

In terms of integrations, it works well with major IaC providers, including Terraform, AWS CloudFormation, and Kubernetes, ensuring a wide coverage of your IaC landscape.

Pros and cons

Pros:

  • Integration with major IaC providers
  • Detailed risk assessments
  • Comprehensive coverage of IaC configurations

Cons:

  • Learning curve might be steep for users not familiar with IaC risk management
  • The tool might be overkill for small projects or organizations
  • Pricing information is not readily available

Best for comprehensive CI/CD in a single application

  • 30-day free trial + Free demo
  • From $4/user/month (billed annually)

GitLab offers a unified platform for managing the entire DevOps lifecycle in one application, with special attention given to robust CI/CD capabilities. It consolidates source code base management, CI/CD, and security into a single, efficient workflow, thereby earning the distinction of being the best for comprehensive CI/CD within a single application.

Why I Picked GitLab: I selected GitLab for its impressive ability to integrate numerous aspects of the DevOps lifecycle into one platform. This distinctive quality of streamlining varied tasks sets it apart from other tools. Moreover, its excellent CI/CD capabilities make it the prime choice for teams seeking to enhance their deployment process within a single application.

Standout features & integrations:

GitLab provides features like automated testing, multi-cloud deployments, and security scanning, all contributing to more efficient CI/CD practices.

It also integrates with popular tools like Kubernetes, Docker, and Prometheus, supporting effective and diverse tech stack implementation.

Pros and cons

Pros:

  • Extensive integration support
  • Wide range of security features
  • Consolidated CI/CD process

Cons:

  • Complex UI can be intimidating
  • Higher cost for premium features
  • Steeper learning curve for beginners

Best for observability and debugging in production systems

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Rating: 4.6/5

Honeycomb is a tool designed to provide insight into production systems, allowing for effective debugging and improved system health. As a platform for high cardinality data and collaborative problem solving, it's uniquely positioned to enhance observability in production environments.

Why I Picked Honeycomb: In my quest to select the ideal tool for observability and debugging, Honeycomb stood out due to its robust feature set and ability to handle complex, high-cardinality data. Honeycomb is the best tool for debugging and ensuring reliable observability in production systems because developers can ask any necessary questions to fully understand their software's behavior.

Standout features & integrations:

Honeycomb’s standout features include its dynamic sampling, which reduces noise, and its trace view, allowing for clear visibility into requests' path.

Additionally, Honeycomb's Query Builder enables complex queries, aiding in-depth debugging. Honeycomb provides vital integrations with numerous platforms like Kubernetes, AWS, and GCP and tools like Terraform, making it flexible and versatile.

Pros and cons

Pros:

  • Supports a wide range of integrations
  • Robust trace view for improved observability
  • Great for high cardinality data

Cons:

  • UI may be overwhelming for beginners
  • Has a steeper learning curve
  • Starting price is higher compared to some competitors

Other Noteworthy DevSecOps Tools

Below is a list of additional DevSecOps tools that I shortlisted, but did not make it to the top 12. Definitely worth checking them out.

  1. VMware

    For managing a multi-cloud environment

  2. Octopus Deploy

    For automated deployments for .NET applications

  3. Opsgenie

    Good for incident management with powerful alerting functionality

  4. Bitbucket

    Good for integrated Git code management and collaboration

  5. Wrike

    Good for project management and collaboration in large teams

  6. Splunk Enterprise

    Good for big data analysis and operational intelligence

  7. GitHub

    Good for version control and collaborative software development

  8. Anypoint Platform

    Good for designing, building, and managing APIs and integrations

  9. Tempo Timesheets

    Good for time tracking and reporting in Jira

  10. PyCharm

    Good for Python development with smart coding assistance

  11. Rollbar

    Good for real-time error tracking and debugging

  12. Travis CI

    Good for continuous integration in software development

  13. Buildkite

    Good for scalable and flexible CI/CD pipelines

  14. Site 24x7

    Good for full-stack monitoring of IT infrastructure

  15. SpiraTeam

    Good for integrated project management with requirements and quality assurance

  16. Open DevOps

    Good for end-to-end DevOps workflow management

  17. Azure DevOps Services

    Good for end-to-end DevOps toolchain in the Azure ecosystem

Selection Criteria for Choosing DevSecOps Tools

My extensive experience researching and using various software tools has assessed numerous project management, development tools, and DevOps for startups and more established businesses. I've tried and tested each of these software tools that made it onto my list to ensure they meet specific criteria.

Core Functionality

For this type of software, the core functionalities I deem essential include:

  • Project Management: The tool should facilitate planning, organizing, and managing resources, as well as adhere to DevOps trends, to complete specific project goals and objectives successfully.
  • Code Deployment: The software should enable automated and streamlined open-source code deployment, allowing continuous integration and delivery (CI/CD).
  • Monitoring and Error Tracking: The tool should provide comprehensive visibility into the system, enabling real-time monitoring and error tracking.
  • Version Control: The software should enable efficient management of changes to documents, computer programs, large websites, and other information.
  • DevOps Security: The tool should incorporate best practices into the DevOps security pipeline, ensuring secure coding, vulnerability scanning, and compliance enforcement throughout the software development lifecycle.

Key Features

The key features that stand out in this type of software include:

  • Integration Capability: It should easily integrate with other DevOps tools in the software ecosystem to create a flawless workflow.
  • Scalability: The tool should be able to handle an increase in workload or expand in response to increased demand.
  • Security: Given the sensitive nature of the data these tools handle, strong software security features are a must.
  • Collaboration Features: The software should foster teamwork by providing features that make it easy for team members to collaborate.

Usability

When it comes to usability, these software tools should exhibit the following characteristics:

  • Intuitive User Interface (UI): Given the technical nature of DevOps and project management tools, an intuitive UI that simplifies complex tasks is necessary software. A key usability aspect is an interface that provides easy navigation and clear, concise information.
  • Easy Onboarding: A tool should have a simple setup process and provide resources such as tutorials or guides that help new users get acquainted with the software quickly.
  • Solid Customer Support: A readily available customer support team that can swiftly address issues or provide clarifications enhances the overall user experience.
  • Customizability: Each team has unique needs. A software that offers customizable features, enabling teams to adapt it to their specific requirements, improves usability.

Most Common Questions Regarding DevSecOps Tools (FAQ's)

What are the benefits of using DevSecOps tools?

Using DevSecOps tools comes with a myriad of benefits. They aid in:

  1. Automating Processes: These tools automate repetitive tasks, saving time and reducing the risk of human errors.
  2. Improving Security: By integrating security into each stage of the development process, these tools enhance the overall security posture of applications.
  3. Increasing Deployment Speed: Through continuous integration and continuous delivery, DevSecOps tools enable faster, reducing the time to market.
  4. Enhancing Collaboration: They foster better collaboration between development, operations, and security teams, leading to more efficient workflows.
  5. Providing Visibility: DevSecOps tools offer comprehensive visibility into the system, making monitoring and detecting errors or threats easier code deployment.

What are the cheapest and most expensive DevSecOps tools?

The cheapest DevSecOps tools generally offer a free tier, such as certain versions of GitHub or Bitbucket. However, these free versions are often limited in their features or usage. The most expensive tools, like Splunk Enterprise, can cost several thousand dollars monthly, offering a wide range of advanced features suitable for large organizations.

Are there any free DevSecOps tool options?

Yes, some DevSecOps tools offer free versions. For example, GitHub offers a free tier suitable for small projects and Bitbucket provides a free tier for small teams. These free options are often limited in features and scalability and may not include comprehensive support.

Summary

In this guide, we've navigated the landscape of DevSecOps tools, investigating their strengths and the unique value they offer in different scenarios.

Here are three key takeaways to keep in mind when choosing the best DevSecOps tool for your needs:

1. Consider Your Specific Needs: To choose the right tool, consider each one's selling points and compare them to your needs. There's a solution for you, whether you need infrastructure as code, Kubernetes security, or better observability in production systems.

2. Mind the Core Functionality and Key Features: For successful DevSecOps processes, you need a tool that offers essential features like automated policy checks, comprehensive vulnerability databases, granular security, and DevOps compliance controls. It should also integrate well with other tools in your tech stack and have robust reporting capabilities and real-time alerting.

3. Pricing is a Major Factor: Understanding the pricing models for DevSecOps tools is crucial. Some services charge per user per month, while others charge based on data usage or number of hosts. It's essential to consider your budget and any extra costs, like setup fees, before selecting a tool.

What do you think?

We are always looking to improve our list of DevSecOps tools and would greatly appreciate your input. If you have any suggestions or personal experiences with tools you believe should be included, please don't hesitate to share them with us.

Your insights will help enhance our community's knowledge and understanding of the topic. You can contact us directly or leave a comment below. Thank you for your contribution.

Paulo Gardini Miguel
By Paulo Gardini Miguel

Paulo is the Director of Technology at the rapidly growing media tech company BWZ. Prior to that, he worked as a Software Engineering Manager and then Head Of Technology at Navegg, Latin America’s largest data marketplace, and as Full Stack Engineer at MapLink, which provides geolocation APIs as a service. Paulo draws insight from years of experience serving as an infrastructure architect, team leader, and product developer in rapidly scaling web environments. He’s driven to share his expertise with other technology leaders to help them build great teams, improve performance, optimize resources, and create foundations for scalability.