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Semgrep

by Semgrep Inc. · est. 2020

Semgrep is an open-source static analysis engine with a cloud management platform (Semgrep AppSec Platform) for enterprise deployments. What distinguishes Semgrep from other SAST tools is its rule language: security engineers can write custom rules that match specific code patterns — enabling organisations to enforce proprietary security standards, flag deprecated internal APIs, or detect company-specific vulnerability patterns that generic rulesets would never cover. Semgrep ships with a large library of community and Pro rules covering OWASP Top 10, CWE Top 25, and language-specific security patterns across Python, JavaScript/TypeScript, Java, Go, Ruby, PHP, and more. Self-hosting capability makes Semgrep the preferred SAST option in data-sovereign contexts (government, defence contractors, financial institutions with strict data localisation requirements).

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AIMenta verdict
Decent fit
4/5

"The most customisable SAST tool — Semgrep's rule language lets security teams encode org-specific patterns generic tools miss. Preferred by APAC security engineering teams needing fine-grained control. Self-hostable for data-sovereign deployments."

Features
6
Use cases
4
Watch outs
4
What it does

Key features

  • Customisable SAST rule language — write rules that match specific code patterns in seconds
  • Pre-built rule library: OWASP Top 10, CWE Top 25, language-specific security patterns
  • Secrets scanning (Semgrep Secrets) — detects hardcoded credentials, API keys, tokens
  • Supply Chain vulnerability scanning (Semgrep Supply Chain) — SCA integration
  • CI/CD integration with every major platform; CLI-first for developer workflow integration
  • Self-hostable — on-premises deployment for data-sovereign environments
When to reach for it

Best for

  • Security engineering teams that need to encode custom organisational rules (banned functions, deprecated APIs, company-specific patterns)
  • Government contractors and financial institutions requiring on-premises SAST (self-host option)
  • Polyglot codebases with multiple languages where a single tool needs to cover the full stack
  • Teams that want to start with SAST free (OSS community rules) before investing in Pro rules
Don't get burned

Limitations to know

  • ! Rule-writing requires security engineering expertise — the customisation advantage disappears if no one has bandwidth to write rules
  • ! The OSS + Pro rule split is confusing: critical rules are behind the Semgrep Pro paywall
  • ! Lower out-of-the-box coverage vs Snyk Code for dependency vulnerabilities — pair with SCA tool
  • ! Cloud platform is US-hosted by default; self-host required for APAC data residency compliance
Context

About Semgrep

Semgrep is a AI productivity tool from Semgrep Inc., launched in 2020. Semgrep is an open-source static analysis engine with a cloud management platform (Semgrep AppSec Platform) for enterprise deployments. What distinguishes Semgrep from other SAST tools is its rule language: security engineers can write custom rules that match specific code patterns — enabling organisations to enforce proprietary security standards, flag deprecated internal APIs, or detect company-specific vulnerability patterns that generic rulesets would never cover. Semgrep ships with a large library of community and Pro rules covering OWASP Top 10, CWE Top 25, and language-specific security patterns across Python, JavaScript/TypeScript, Java, Go, Ruby, PHP, and more. Self-hosting capability makes Semgrep the preferred SAST option in data-sovereign contexts (government, defence contractors, financial institutions with strict data localisation requirements).

Notable capabilities include Customisable SAST rule language — write rules that match specific code patterns in seconds, Pre-built rule library: OWASP Top 10, CWE Top 25, language-specific security patterns, and Secrets scanning (Semgrep Secrets) — detects hardcoded credentials, API keys, tokens. Teams typically deploy Semgrep for security engineering teams that need to encode custom organisational rules (banned functions, deprecated APIs, company-specific patterns) and government contractors and financial institutions requiring on-premises SAST (self-host option).

Common trade-offs to weigh: rule-writing requires security engineering expertise — the customisation advantage disappears if no one has bandwidth to write rules and the OSS + Pro rule split is confusing: critical rules are behind the Semgrep Pro paywall. AIMenta editorial take for APAC mid-market: The most customisable SAST tool — Semgrep's rule language lets security teams encode org-specific patterns generic tools miss. Preferred by APAC security engineering teams needing fine-grained control. Self-hostable for data-sovereign deployments.

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