What is
Semgrep
?
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At a glance
Attribute | Value |
|---|---|
Primary use case | Find and remediate code vulnerabilities, vulnerable dependencies, and hardcoded secrets before release |
Deployment type | Commercial SaaS platform with managed scanning, CLI, CI/CD, and IDE workflows; open-source scanner |
Pricing model | Free/open-source edition and free platform tier; paid Team and Enterprise tiers with contributor-based pricing |
API compatibility | APIs, webhooks, Model Context Protocol (MCP), Language Server Protocol (LSP) |
Supported integrations | GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket, Azure, VS Code, JetBrains, Jira, Slack, Cursor, Replit, Palo Alto Networks, Sysdig, StackHawk |
Source type | Dual |
Cloud provider | Cloud Agnostic |
Ideal team size | Solo developers to enterprise teams; free platform tier supports up to 10 contributors |
Onboarding time | Fast onboarding with minimal basic setup; organization-wide rollout may require cross-team coordination |
Required skills | Source-code security analysis, version control, CLI usage, CI/CD configuration; rule authoring for custom checks |
AEP branch | Tooling |
AEP category | Security Plane |
AEP subcategory | Code Analysis |
Profile
Code Analysis tools examine software to identify security issues and other code defects. Semgrep combines static analysis with AI-assisted features to find and help remediate code vulnerabilities, vulnerable open-source dependencies, hardcoded secrets, and malware risks.
The platform includes Semgrep Code for static application security testing (SAST), Semgrep Supply Chain for dependency vulnerabilities and malware, and Semgrep Secrets for hardcoded secrets. It also offers scanning and remediation workflows through the CLI, CI/CD, IDEs, pull requests, and its managed platform.
Focus
Semgrep serves developers and security teams looking to detect and fix security issues before code ships. It analyzes source code for vulnerabilities, checks open-source dependencies, detects hardcoded secrets, and supports security guardrails during development.
Its workflows connect scanning to developer tools and code review: findings can appear in pull requests or merge requests, while remediation guidance can be provided in pull requests and IDEs.
Background
The supplied company-background research identifies Semgrep, Inc. as formerly r2c and describes it as a cybersecurity company. It does not provide a founding date or funding history.
The Semgrep scanner is open source, and the research identifies its source repository as github.com/semgrep/semgrep.
Features
Static application security testing
Semgrep Code finds code vulnerabilities so teams can address issues before release. It uses rule-based static analysis alongside AI reasoning about code context, naming, structure, and developer intent; the platform also supports custom rules.
Open-source dependency scanning
Semgrep Supply Chain identifies vulnerable dependencies and helps teams address dependency risks. It scans open-source dependencies and can block malware, with findings available through the platform dashboard or API.
Secrets detection
Semgrep Secrets detects hardcoded secrets to help teams find and fix exposed credentials. Its detection uses semantic analysis.
AI-assisted finding prioritization
AI-assisted triage helps security teams focus on relevant findings and reduce false-positive backlogs. Semgrep says teams triage 80% fewer false positives across SAST and SCA, and reports that 95% of security reviewers validated its AI prioritization across more than 6 million findings.
Malware incident response
Semgrep supports detection and response to open-source malware incidents. The vendor reports 24/7 on-call monitoring and incident scans triggered within 30 minutes of discovery; Slack and Jira integrations can route findings into predefined remediation workflows.
Malware firewall
The Malware Firewall blocks malicious or compromised open-source packages from reaching developer environments. It runs on developer machines and intercepts network requests to public registries.
Scanning in developer workflows
Semgrep puts findings and remediation into tools developers use, supporting scanning and checks across CLI, CI/CD, IDEs, and pull requests. Listed integrations include GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket, Azure, VS Code, JetBrains, Cursor, and Replit.
Security pipelines
Semgrep Workflows lets teams build and deploy security pipelines that combine static analysis with AI. The platform supports APIs and webhooks for connecting results to other workflows.
Pros and cons
Pros
Combines SAST, software composition analysis (SCA), secrets detection, and malware protection in one platform.
Supports developer-facing workflows, including CLI, CI/CD, IDEs, pull requests, APIs, and webhooks.
Offers an open-source scanner and a free platform tier that supports up to 10 contributors.
Vendor-reported metrics include 80% fewer false positives across SAST and SCA and malware incident scans within 30 minutes of discovery.
Cons
User feedback in the supplied research describes reporting outside the Semgrep dashboard as limited, which may constrain teams that need reports through other channels.
A user discussion characterizes integrations as limited outside Jira and Slack. This contrasts with the broader integration list published by Semgrep, so integration needs should be checked against specific workflows.
One user discussion raises concerns about breadth when SCA is needed. Semgrep offers Supply Chain scanning, but the feedback indicates that teams may need to evaluate its coverage for their dependency-scanning requirements.
Research on onboarding notes that organization-wide rollout may require cross-team coordination; feedback on end-to-end setup also mentions coordination and possible expert tuning.
FAQs
Frequently asked questions
How does Semgrep work?
Semgrep analyzes code with rule-based static analysis and AI reasoning about code context, naming, structure, and developer intent. Semgrep also supports custom rules and scanning through the CLI, CI/CD, IDEs, and pull requests.
What integrations does Semgrep support?
Semgrep supports GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket, Azure, VS Code, JetBrains, Jira, Slack, Cursor, Replit, Palo Alto Networks, Sysdig, and StackHawk. Semgrep also supports APIs, webhooks, Model Context Protocol (MCP), and Language Server Protocol (LSP).
Is Semgrep free?
Semgrep offers a free/open-source edition and a free platform tier that supports up to 10 contributors. Semgrep also offers paid Team and Enterprise tiers with contributor-based pricing.
What skills are needed to use Semgrep?
Using Semgrep requires source-code security analysis, version control, CLI usage, and CI/CD configuration; custom checks require rule authoring.
What are Semgrep's limitations?
User feedback in the supplied research describes reporting outside the Semgrep dashboard as limited.
