Application security is more important than ever, given the rapid pace of development and reliance on third-party components in modern software. Identifying and remediating vulnerabilities early in the software development life cycle helps organizations reduce risk.
Snyk has emerged as one of the leading solutions for security-focused DevOps teams looking to shift application security “left” closer to developers. But what exactly does Snyk do, and what key problem does it solve?
Table of Contents
What is Snyk?
Snyk is a developer-first security platform used by organizations to secure both proprietary application code and open-source dependencies. Some refer to Snyk as:
- A cloud-native software composition analysis (SCA) solution
- An open-source vulnerability scanner
- A continuous integration / continuous delivery (CI/CD) friendly static application security testing (SAST) tool
These all describe aspects of Snyk’s capabilities. But more broadly, Snyk aims to integrate security seamlessly into the developer workflow.
Instead of separate siloed security testing, Snyk embeds security directly into the existing systems developers use daily, like repositories (GitHub, Bitbucket), IDEs (Visual Studio Code, Eclipse, IntelliJ), and pipelines (Jenkins, CircleCI).
This shifts security “left” earlier into the software development life cycle and positions security analysis as a developer responsibility rather than just an ops/SecOps task.
Let’s explore Snyk’s core capabilities further.
Snyk’s Core Capabilities
Snyk focuses heavily on open-source security and empowering fixes within developer workflows. Main features include:
Securing Open-Source Dependencies
The typical application today contains over 80% third-party open-source components. Identifying and remediating vulnerable libraries is crucial. Snyk automates:
- Dependency tree mapping: Discovers all direct and transient open-source dependencies in the codebase
- Vulnerability detection: Matches known vulnerable component versions from the continuously updated Snyk vulnerability database
- Fix recommendation: Suggests upgrade guidance to non-vulnerable dependency versions.
By surfacing this information directly within the native developer IDE, issues can be fixed promptly before further progression.
Container Scanning
Snyk also offers security testing for Docker container images to reveal risks early on. Snyk Container scans images for:
- Vulnerable Linux packages
- Sensitive secrets accidentally baked into layers
- Improper configs posing security risks
These container image scans also execute within the CI/CD pipeline to provide feedback to developers well before deployment.
Infrastructure as Code (IaC) Scanning
Infrastructure as code (IaC) introduces risks around repeatable infrastructure deployments containing misconfigurations or insecure settings.
Snyk analyzes IaC templates for:
- AWS CloudFormation
- Terraform
- Kubernetes configurations
Issues appear directly within pull requests, enabling fast remediation of problems pre-deployment.
CI/CD Source Code Analysis
To secure custom application codes, Snyk offers SAST testing triggered from continuous integration pipelines. Supported languages include Java, JavaScript, Python, C#, and more.
These scanned source code repositories are for:
- XSS, SQLi, command injections
- Insecure cryptographic algorithms
- Identity management issues
- Business logic flaws
SAST identifies code weaknesses early in development before they become costly vulnerabilities.
Customizable Security Policies
Snyk allows administrators to define organization-specific security policies enforced during analysis. Custom rules establish configuration standards aligned to internal Compliance requirements or AppSec objectives.
Key Benefits of Snyk
What makes Snyk appeal to so many security-minded engineering teams?
Frictionless Developer Experience
Snyk prioritizes ease of use by meeting developers in their native tools. Instead of bolted-on security testing, Snyk integrates analysis features directly into code repositories, IDEs, and pipelines.
Issues surface visually where developers work daily. Hyperlinked context takes them straight from findings to specific fixes.
By enabling fast vulnerability identification and remediation, Snyk aims to make security a developer responsibility rather than just a blockade to productivity.
Comprehensive Language and Integration Support
Snyk supports 12+ programming languages and frameworks, including Java, JavaScript, Python, Ruby, C#, PHP, and more.
Its code analysis seamlessly integrates with every major CI/CD tool like GitHub Actions, CircleCl, Travis Cl, TeamCity, Azure DevOps, and more.
This combination of breadth across languages and frictionless integration ensures security visibility across large heterogeneous projects.
Scalable Cloud-Native Architecture
As a SaaS-based security platform, Snyk provides usage-based licensing to meet demand spikes flexibly.
Rather than on-premise hardware constrained by fixed data center capacity, Snyk leverages the infinite elasticity of cloud infrastructure.
Shift Left Security Posture
By embedding security scrutiny directly into developer native environments, Snyk enables earlier identification of vulnerabilities or misconfigurations.
Engineers gain security feedback within their existing workflows, such as repos, pipelines, and code scans. This shifts security practices earlier into the software development life cycle.
Issues are discovered, surfaced, and resolved in the process before making it to production.
What Vulnerabilities Does Snyk Detect?
Snyk focuses heavily on securing open-source components, which underpin most modern applications:
Open-Source Vulnerabilities
- Libraries with known CVEs like Log4j or Spring Framework
- Outdated libraries missing the latest fixes
- Indirect/transient dependencies not directly referenced
Application Vulnerabilities
- SQL injections, command injections, path traversals
- XSS (cross-site scripting) flaws
- Insecure encryption algorithms
- Authentication bypass issues
- Sensitive data exposures through logging
Infrastructure Misconfiguration
- Overly permissive IAM roles (AWS)
- Security group risks
- Data leaks through S3 buckets
Container & Kubernetes Risks
- Base image OS packages with CVEs
- Insecure Docker daemon configs
- Overprivileged pods based on roles
- RBAC misconfigurations
This breadth across infrastructure, containers, open-source libraries, and custom code results helps Snyk take a more holistic approach to identifying risks across the full application stack.
Snyk Use Cases
Who uses Snyk, and why? Common Snyk use cases include:
Securing Open-Source Usage
Organizations relying heavily on open-source libraries use Snyk SCA to inventory components, detect vulnerable versions, and get guided upgrade fixes when you’re hosting Vercel alternatives that are open-source.
Benefit: Reduce risk from outdated components with known issues.
Embedding Security into DevOps
Modern engineering teams aim to shift security practices left into existing CI/CD pipelines. Snyk testing integrates directly with major DevOps tools to find and fix issues in pre-production.
Benefit: Fix problems early when they are less costly.
Container Vulnerability Management
As Docker usage increases, so does the risk around base OS and application layer vulnerabilities. Snyk Container helps identify these without impacting the developer experience.
Benefit: Find and fix container image vulnerabilities early on.
Cloud Security Posture Management
Snyk Cloud helps enforce security best practices by codifying infrastructure standards, surfacing risks in IaC config files, and preventing cloud misconfig deployments.
Benefit: Reduce cloud misconfigurations and leaks.
AppSec Program Development
Organizations maturing their application security use Snyk for program foundations. Custom rules establish secure development policies and benchmarks. Issues get tracked over time, showing risk reduction.
Benefit: Metric-driven application security program visibility, enforcement, and reporting.
By seamlessly integrating security testing into CI/CD pipelines, Snyk provides the foundations for DevSecOps initiatives seeking to shift security left.
Developer-First Security
Modern applications face increasing scrutiny around security and compliance. Snyk aims to balance these demands with developer experience through:
Actionable findings – Clear contextual remediation advice makes issues fixable directly by coders based on language expertise.
Native environment integration – Analyzing source code, infrastructure templates, dependencies, and containers precisely where developers build apps removes friction.
Focus on open-source security – Surfacing vulnerable libraries directly within existing dependency workflows enables faster remediation.
Customizable security policies – Aligning Snyk analysis to organizational AppSec objectives and benchmarks builds progressive programs.
Usage-based pricing – Flexible licensing options ensure affordability for developers getting started while accommodating growth.
Positioning security as an enablement tool rather than pure taxation helps drive shifts left in maturity models.
Conclusion
Snyk makes application security testing easy for lean DevOps teams practicing continuous security integration and deployment. Instead of separate testing gates, Snyk embeds security directly into native developer workflows across major repositories, IDEs, and pipelines.
This frictionless approach, combined with a focus on actionable findings, empowers developers to own security rather than offloading it solely to ops or SecOps teams.
But Snyk is not the only security platform in the industry. Check out a list of Snyk alternatives and competitors to find a software solution for your needs.
