Selecting the Right SAST Solution

The SAST market offers numerous commercial and open-source options, each with strengths and limitations. Begin selection by confirming language and framework support for your technology stack. While major languages enjoy broad support, specialized frameworks or legacy technologies might limit options. Verify that tools understand your specific frameworks' security features to minimize false positives.

Evaluate detection capabilities through proof-of-concept testing with your actual code. Don't rely solely on vendor claims or synthetic benchmarks. Test tools against known vulnerabilities in your applications and measure both detection rates and false positive ratios. Pay particular attention to how tools handle your specific security patterns and custom frameworks. Real-world testing reveals tool effectiveness better than any marketing material.

Consider operational requirements beyond pure detection capabilities. How does the tool integrate with your existing development tools? Can it scale to analyze your entire code base within acceptable timeframes? Does it provide APIs for custom integration? What expertise is required for operation and tuning? These operational factors often determine implementation success more than technical detection capabilities.