Coverity Scan vs Semgrep

Struggling to choose between Coverity Scan and Semgrep? Both products offer unique advantages, making it a tough decision.

Coverity Scan is a Development solution with tags like static-analysis, defect-detection, security, open-source.

It boasts features such as Static analysis to find defects in C/C++ and Java code, Integrates with GitHub and Travis CI for easy scanning of open source projects, Provides detailed reports on issues found including code snippets and severity, Can scan code before check-in with a plugin for developers, Has high accuracy with low false positive rates and pros including Free for open source projects, Finds critical security vulnerabilities, Easy to set up and use, Detailed and actionable reports, High quality results.

On the other hand, Semgrep is a Development product tagged with static-analysis, pattern-matching, vulnerability-detection.

Its standout features include Pattern matching to find bugs and vulnerabilities, Supports many languages like Python, Java, JavaScript, Go, etc, Can detect SQL injections, hardcoded credentials, use of weak crypto APIs, Integrates with CI/CD pipelines, Can be run locally or hosted on cloud platforms, Open source and free for individual developers, and it shines with pros like Finds security issues without needing to run code, Much faster than traditional SAST tools, Easy to write new rules/patterns, Great for enforcing code standards.

Feature	Coverity Scan	Semgrep
Overall Score	N/A	N/A
Primary Category	Development	Development

Product Overview

Coverity Scan

Description: Coverity Scan is a free static analysis service for open source projects to detect critical software defects and security vulnerabilities. It is easy to use and provides high quality results.

Semgrep

Description: Semgrep is an open-source tool for detecting bugs and security vulnerabilities in source code using pattern matching. It works by scanning codebases to find instances where code matches predefined patterns that correspond to vulnerabilities or errors.

Key Features Comparison

Coverity Scan Features

• Static analysis to find defects in C/C++ and Java code
• Integrates with GitHub and Travis CI for easy scanning of open source projects
• Provides detailed reports on issues found including code snippets and severity
• Can scan code before check-in with a plugin for developers
• Has high accuracy with low false positive rates

Semgrep Features

• Pattern matching to find bugs and vulnerabilities
• Supports many languages like Python, Java, JavaScript, Go, etc
• Can detect SQL injections, hardcoded credentials, use of weak crypto APIs
• Integrates with CI/CD pipelines
• Can be run locally or hosted on cloud platforms
• Open source and free for individual developers

Pros & Cons Analysis

Coverity Scan

Pros

• Free for open source projects
• Finds critical security vulnerabilities
• Easy to set up and use
• Detailed and actionable reports
• High quality results

Cons

• Only focused on defect detection
• Limited language support (C/C++ and Java only)
• Not available for private repositories
• Requires uploading code to Coverity servers

Semgrep

Pros

• Finds security issues without needing to run code
• Much faster than traditional SAST tools
• Easy to write new rules/patterns
• Great for enforcing code standards

Cons

• May have false positives requiring tuning rules
• Not as comprehensive as SAST tools
• Requires expertise to write good rules
• Only finds issues matching predefined patterns

Pricing Comparison

Coverity Scan

• Free
• Open Source

Semgrep

• Free
• Open Source