Here’s the part where we make secure development actually work in the real world. Not as an abstract ideal. Not as a checklist handed down by security. But as a set of small, practical changes that help your team build better software—with fewer surprises in prod. This chapter is your developer-first guide to integrating security into every stage of your SDLC. 

From design to deployment, we’ll show you how to keep your code clean, your pipeline green, and your alerts actionable. 

Lightweight threat modeling? Check. Secure coding without the OWASP lecture? You bet. Smart tooling that actually prioritizes risk and plays nice with your workflow? That too. Aikido helps automate a lot of this behind the scenes, so security doesn’t feel like a blocker. It feels like part of the job. In the best way.

Placeholder image: Image description: Visual overview of the SDLC showing security actions at each stage—Plan, Code, Test, Deploy—with Aikido icons layered in where automation supports each phase.

Let’s start where it all begins—design. Because if you can catch the risks before you write code, everything else gets easier.