You’ve validated input, locked down secrets, and followed every best practice. But code isn’t bulletproof until it’s been tested like an attacker would. This is where scanning tools come in—and where things often fall apart. Too many scanners. Too many alerts. Not enough clarity on what actually matters. In this section, we’ll walk through the security scanner alphabet soup, explain which tools do what, and show how to make them part of your CI/CD flow without clogging it with noise. Bonus: Aikido ties them all together in one clean dev-friendly interface.

Placeholder image: Image description: CI/CD pipeline visual with SAST, SCA, DAST, IAST, and IaC scans running at different stages—annotated with green/yellow/red signals and dev-friendly outputs.

The Alphabet Soup of Scanners: SAST, DAST, SCA, IAST – What They Do & Why You Might (or Might Not) Need Them All

SAST (Static): Scans Your Code Without Running It

SAST tools analyze your source code before runtime. They catch insecure patterns—like unescaped inputs or risky functions—before the app is even built. The problem? Most traditional SAST tools are noisy and painfully slow. What works: tools like Semgrep, integrated with your PRs, focused on risk—not style.

DAST (Dynamic): Pokes Your Running App for Holes

DAST runs attacks against your live app to see what breaks. Great for finding issues like missing auth checks, logic bugs, or misconfigured error handling. But it’s usually too late-stage to shift left. Use lightweight API security scans earlier and save DAST for pre-prod staging.

SCA (Software Composition Analysis): Checks Your Open Source for Trouble

SCA tools scan your package.json, requirements.txt, or lock files for vulnerable dependencies. Critical, since most apps rely on open source. But vanilla SCA tools often overwhelm devs with non-exploitable CVEs. Aikido solves this with reachability analysis—flagging only what’s actually used and vulnerable.

IAST (Interactive): The Hybrid Approach, Testing from the Inside

IAST combines static and dynamic analysis by watching the app during runtime and analyzing data flows in real time. It's useful, but heavy. Not every team needs it. If you’re working with complex services or APIs, IAST can help catch bugs other tools miss—but for most teams, it's optional.

Choosing Your Security Scanning Weapon Wisely

IaC Scanning: Secure Your Infrastructure Before It’s Even Built (Aikido Scans Your IaC Too!)

Infrastructure as Code is fast—but also fragile. A single misconfigured permission or public S3 bucket can blow up security. IaC scanners look at your Terraform, CloudFormation, or Kubernetes files before anything goes live. Aikido pulls in these scans too, flags risky settings, and ties them to your commit history so you know who, what, and when.

Aikido Value Prop Callout: Tired of Juggling a Dozen Security Tools?

Aikido brings SAST, SCA, secrets detection, IaC scanning, and more into one platform built for devs. Instead of bouncing between dashboards, you get a single view with prioritized, context-aware results. Want audit trails for compliance? Covered. Need to know which vuln is reachable and in-prod? Done. It’s how security scanning should work: fast, relevant, and part of your pipeline—not another blocker.

Insight: Scanning shouldn’t be a bottleneck. When you prioritize signal over noise and use tools that understand your code and your context, testing becomes a weapon—not a chore. Now let’s get into what it takes to scale secure development across a growing team without drowning in process.