Who is Semgrep?
Semgrep is a code security and static analysis platform that provides rule-based scanning for application security, supply chain risks, and compliance across the software development lifecycle.
- Static Application Security Testing (SAST) and code scanning for multiple programming languages
- Policy as Code (PaC) rules engine for customizable security and compliance checks
- Developer-focused workflows integrated into Continuous Integration and Continuous Deployment (CI/CD) pipelines and Integrated Development Environments (IDEs)
- Detection of supply chain risks in dependencies and open source components
- Code-aware search and refactoring capabilities for security and quality use cases
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More About Semgrep
Semgrep focuses on static analysis and code security for engineering and security teams that manage modern software delivery in enterprise environments. Its core capability is a pattern-based analysis engine that scans source code and Infrastructure-as-Code (IaC) repositories to detect security vulnerabilities, coding errors, and policy violations before deployment. The platform is positioned for use by application security teams, security engineers, and developers who integrate security checks into Continuous Integration (CI) and delivery workflows.
The platform uses a rules engine that expresses security and compliance policies as code, often referred to as PaC (security and compliance). These rules can be customized or created from scratch to match organization-specific coding standards, regulatory requirements, and threat models. Semgrep supports multiple programming languages and common frameworks used in web, backend, and cloud-native applications. It is commonly integrated into CI/CD systems such as Git-based pipelines and other automation servers so that pull requests and builds are automatically scanned, with results surfaced directly to developers.
From a technology perspective, Semgrep’s engine performs syntactic and structural analysis of code rather than relying only on simple text search. This allows users to define patterns that match abstract syntax tree (AST) structures for more precise detection with fewer irrelevant findings compared with basic grep-style searches. The platform also provides rule packs that cover categories such as injection issues, access control problems, insecure configuration, and other common vulnerability classes identified in industry practices like OWASP-style guidance, as reflected on its site.
For supply chain security (software supply chain security), Semgrep extends scanning beyond first-party code to dependencies and open source packages. It can flag known risk patterns in dependency usage, unsafe functions, and configuration issues that expose applications to vulnerabilities in libraries and third-party components. This positions Semgrep in the broader Application Security Testing (AST) and Software Composition Analysis (SCA) landscape, while retaining a focus on code-level pattern detection and developer-centric workflows.
Enterprises typically deploy Semgrep as part of an application security program that spans code review, CI enforcement, and periodic scans across large repositories. Governance and security teams can centralize rule management and reporting, while engineering teams receive targeted findings in their existing tools. Within a directory or marketplace taxonomy, Semgrep aligns with categories such as SAST, code analysis, software supply chain security, developer security tooling, and PaC platforms.
Our description of Semgrep. Updated January 2026.
