About
Semgrep is a powerful, developer-centric application security platform built to surface true, actionable security issues in modern codebases. Its AI-assisted approach combines traditional rule-based static analysis with machine learning reasoning—branded as Semgrep Multimodal—to dramatically reduce false positives and accelerate remediation workflows. The platform is organized around three main pillars: **Semgrep Code** performs Static Application Security Testing (SAST) to find vulnerabilities in first-party code; **Semgrep Supply Chain** analyzes open-source dependencies for known vulnerabilities and blocks malicious packages (SCA); and **Semgrep Secrets** uses semantic analysis to detect hardcoded credentials and API keys before they reach production. Semgrep integrates natively into developer workflows via CI/CD pipelines, IDE plugins, pull request checks, and a rich CLI. Its community-driven Rules Registry contains thousands of patterns written by both Semgrep's security team and the broader developer community. An interactive Playground allows teams to write, test, and share custom rules without any setup. Semgrep targets a broad audience—from individual developers and startups to large enterprises in regulated industries like fintech and SaaS. It offers a free Community Edition (open source), making it accessible to teams of any size. The AppSec Platform tier adds centralized policy management, workflow automation, and enterprise-grade reporting. Use cases range from enforcing OWASP Top 10 compliance to securing AI-generated (vibe-coded) output and protecting against software supply chain attacks.
Key Features
- AI-Assisted SAST (Semgrep Code): Combines rule-based static analysis with AI reasoning (Multimodal) to detect real vulnerabilities in first-party source code while minimizing false positives.
- Software Composition Analysis (Semgrep Supply Chain): Scans open-source dependencies for known CVEs and actively blocks malicious packages to protect against software supply chain attacks.
- Secrets Detection (Semgrep Secrets): Uses semantic analysis to find hardcoded API keys, tokens, and credentials in code before they are exposed in production or public repositories.
- Community Rules Registry & Playground: Access thousands of security rules written by Semgrep and the community, and write or share custom rules interactively in the online Playground—no setup required.
- CI/CD & Workflow Integration: Deploy security pipelines directly in CI/CD workflows, pull request checks, and IDEs, enabling security enforcement at every stage of the development lifecycle.
Use Cases
- Detecting and fixing OWASP Top 10 vulnerabilities (SQL injection, XSS, insecure deserialization, etc.) in application source code during development.
- Scanning open-source dependencies in CI/CD pipelines to identify vulnerable packages and block supply chain attacks before they reach production.
- Finding hardcoded API keys, passwords, and secrets accidentally committed to source code repositories.
- Securing AI-generated (vibe-coded) code by automatically scanning LLM output for security issues before it is merged.
- Enforcing organization-wide security policies and compliance standards (e.g., PCI-DSS, SOC 2) across all engineering teams through centralized AppSec platform management.
Pros
- Developer-Friendly Experience: Built with developers in mind—low friction integration into existing pipelines, actionable findings, and a free Community Edition make adoption easy at any scale.
- High Signal-to-Noise Ratio: AI-assisted triage and rule-based detection work together to surface only true, exploitable issues, reducing alert fatigue compared to traditional SAST tools.
- Broad Language & Framework Coverage: Supports a wide range of programming languages and frameworks, and the extensible rule engine lets teams customize coverage for their specific tech stack.
- Strong Open-Source Community: A large and active community contributes rules to the Registry, and the Community Edition is fully open source, making it a trusted choice for security researchers and teams.
Cons
- Advanced Features Require Paid Plans: Centralized AppSec management, workflow automation, and enterprise-grade reporting are locked behind paid tiers, which may be costly for smaller teams.
- Rule Tuning Can Be Complex: While the Playground helps, writing highly accurate custom rules for complex codebases requires familiarity with Semgrep's pattern syntax and AST-based matching.
- Primarily Static Analysis: As a SAST/SCA tool, Semgrep does not perform dynamic (runtime) analysis, so certain vulnerability classes that only manifest at runtime may be missed.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Semgrep free to use?
Yes, Semgrep offers a free Community Edition that is open source. Paid plans (Team and Enterprise) are available for organizations needing centralized management, advanced triage, and workflow automation features.
What programming languages does Semgrep support?
Semgrep supports 30+ programming languages including Python, JavaScript, TypeScript, Java, Go, Ruby, PHP, C/C++, Rust, and more. Coverage varies by language, and the community registry includes rules for many popular frameworks.
How does Semgrep differ from traditional SAST tools like Checkmarx or Snyk?
Semgrep combines rule-based static analysis with AI reasoning (Multimodal) to reduce false positives and provide actionable findings. It is also developer-first—integrating natively into CI/CD workflows—and offers a free, open-source tier with a large community rules library.
Can I write my own custom security rules?
Yes. Semgrep provides an interactive online Playground where you can write, test, and share custom rules using its pattern-matching syntax. Rules can target specific code patterns, libraries, or anti-patterns unique to your codebase.
What is Semgrep Multimodal?
Semgrep Multimodal is a feature that combines traditional rule-based detection with AI reasoning. It helps with detection, triage, and remediation by applying AI to understand code context, reducing false positives and suggesting fixes more accurately than rules alone.
