Who is Open Web Application Security Project (OWASP)?
Open Web Application Security Project (OWASP) is a nonprofit foundation that produces open, vendor-neutral resources for improving the security of software, web applications, APIs, and related infrastructure.
- Open community-driven security projects, including documentation, tools, and guidelines
- Widely referenced application and Application Programming Interface (API) security guidance for developers and security teams
- Standards-aligned secure development and testing practices for software lifecycle programs
- Educational content, training materials, and conferences focused on application security
- Local and virtual chapters that support collaboration among security practitioners and organizations
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More About Open Web Application Security Project (OWASP)
OWASP is an open community foundation focused on improving the security of software in enterprise, government, and broader institutional environments. Its work products are released under open licenses, allowing organizations to adopt and adapt them within security programs, development standards, and procurement requirements without licensing fees or vendor lock-in. OWASP resources are used by development teams, application security engineers, risk management functions, and compliance stakeholders as reference material for policies and technical controls.
OWASP publishes project-based guidance that maps to multiple enterprise security domains, including application security (AppSec), API security, software assurance, Secure Development Lifecycle (SDLC) practices, and testing methodologies. Among its most widely referenced outputs are curated lists and frameworks that categorize common risk areas and recommend controls, which organizations use to guide threat modeling, secure coding, code review, penetration testing, and security monitoring activities. These materials are often integrated into secure coding standards, secure-by-design architecture practices, and vendor assessment questionnaires.
OWASP projects frequently align with or reference established security and technology standards, such as Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) and Transport Layer Security (TLS) for web applications, Representational State Transfer (REST) and other API paradigms, and common authentication and authorization mechanisms. Its guidance is designed to be applicable across diverse technology stacks, including on-premises (on-prem), cloud-native, mobile, and microservices-based architectures. Enterprises often incorporate OWASP-aligned requirements into Continuous Integration and Continuous Deployment (CI/CD) pipelines, static and Dynamic Application Security Testing (DAST) (SAST/DAST) workflows, and DevSecOps practices, using OWASP materials as baseline criteria for vulnerability classification and remediation priorities.
In comparison to proprietary security vendors that market specific tools or managed services, OWASP operates as a neutral foundation providing reference frameworks, best-practice documentation, and community-maintained tools. Its role in the ecosystem centers on shared understanding of application security risks and mitigation techniques rather than on the sale of commercial platforms. This makes OWASP content a common reference point across competing vendors, integrators, and consulting firms that align their offerings with OWASP-originated taxonomies and recommendations.
Within a technology and solutions directory, OWASP can be categorized under application security frameworks and guidance, developer security education, and community-driven security standards. Its outputs support multiple use cases: defining enterprise application security baselines, structuring security training curricula for developers, informing secure architecture and design reviews, and providing reference models for risk scoring and control selection. Because OWASP projects are maintained by a broad contributor base through chapters and working groups, enterprises can monitor project updates and version changes to keep internal policies and control sets synchronized with current OWASP guidance.
Our description of Open Web Application Security Project (OWASP). Updated December 2025.
