---
stage: Secure
group: Static Analysis
info: To determine the technical writer assigned to the Stage/Group associated with this page, see https://about.gitlab.com/handbook/engineering/ux/technical-writing/#designated-technical-writers
---

# SAST Analyzers **(ULTIMATE)**

SAST relies on underlying third party tools that are wrapped into what we call
"Analyzers". An analyzer is a
[dedicated project](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/security-products/analyzers)
that wraps a particular tool to:

- Expose its detection logic.
- Handle its execution.
- Convert its output to the common format.

This is achieved by implementing the [common API](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/security-products/analyzers/common).

SAST supports the following official analyzers:

- [`bandit`](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/security-products/analyzers/bandit) (Bandit)
- [`brakeman`](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/security-products/analyzers/brakeman) (Brakeman)
- [`eslint`](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/security-products/analyzers/eslint) (ESLint (JavaScript and React))
- [`flawfinder`](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/security-products/analyzers/flawfinder) (Flawfinder)
- [`gosec`](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/security-products/analyzers/gosec) (Gosec)
- [`kubesec`](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/security-products/analyzers/kubesec) (Kubesec)
- [`nodejs-scan`](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/security-products/analyzers/nodejs-scan) (NodeJsScan)
- [`phpcs-security-audit`](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/security-products/analyzers/phpcs-security-audit) (PHP CS security-audit)
- [`pmd-apex`](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/security-products/analyzers/pmd-apex) (PMD (Apex only))
- [`secrets`](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/security-products/analyzers/secrets) (Secrets (Gitleaks & TruffleHog secret detectors))
- [`security-code-scan`](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/security-products/analyzers/security-code-scan) (Security Code Scan (.NET))
- [`sobelow`](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/security-products/analyzers/sobelow) (Sobelow (Elixir Phoenix))
- [`spotbugs`](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/security-products/analyzers/spotbugs) (SpotBugs with the Find Sec Bugs plugin (Ant, Gradle and wrapper, Grails, Maven and wrapper, SBT))

The analyzers are published as Docker images that SAST will use to launch
dedicated containers for each analysis.

SAST is pre-configured with a set of **default images** that are maintained by
GitLab, but users can also integrate their own **custom images**.

## Official default analyzers

Any custom change to the official analyzers can be achieved by using an
[environment variable in your `.gitlab-ci.yml`](index.md#customizing-the-sast-settings).

### Using a custom Docker mirror

You can switch to a custom Docker registry that provides the official analyzer
images under a different prefix. For instance, the following instructs
SAST to pull `my-docker-registry/gl-images/bandit`
instead of `registry.gitlab.com/gitlab-org/security-products/analyzers/bandit`.
In `.gitlab-ci.yml` define:

```yaml
include:
  - template: SAST.gitlab-ci.yml

variables:
  SECURE_ANALYZERS_PREFIX: my-docker-registry/gl-images
```

This configuration requires that your custom registry provides images for all
the official analyzers.

### Selecting specific analyzers

You can select the official analyzers you want to run. Here's how to enable
`bandit` and `flawfinder` while disabling all the other default ones.
In `.gitlab-ci.yml` define:

```yaml
include:
  - template: SAST.gitlab-ci.yml

variables:
  SAST_DEFAULT_ANALYZERS: "bandit,flawfinder"
```

`bandit` runs first. When merging the reports, SAST will
remove the duplicates and will keep the `bandit` entries.

### Disabling default analyzers

Setting `SAST_DEFAULT_ANALYZERS` to an empty string will disable all the official
default analyzers. In `.gitlab-ci.yml` define:

```yaml
include:
  - template: SAST.gitlab-ci.yml

variables:
  SAST_DEFAULT_ANALYZERS: ""
```

That's needed when one totally relies on [custom analyzers](#custom-analyzers).

## Custom Analyzers

### Custom analyzers with Docker-in-Docker

When Docker-in-Docker for SAST is enabled,
you can provide your own analyzers as a comma-separated list of Docker images.
Here's how to add `analyzers/csharp` and `analyzers/perl` to the default images:
In `.gitlab-ci.yml` define:

```yaml
include:
  - template: SAST.gitlab-ci.yml

variables:
  SAST_ANALYZER_IMAGES: "my-docker-registry/analyzers/csharp,amy-docker-registry/analyzers/perl"
```

The values must be the full path to the container registry images,
like what you would feed to the `docker pull` command.

NOTE: **Note:**
This configuration doesn't benefit from the integrated detection step.
SAST has to fetch and spawn each Docker image to establish whether the
custom analyzer can scan the source code.

### Custom analyzers without Docker-in-Docker

When Docker-in-Docker for SAST is disabled, you can provide your own analyzers by
defining CI jobs in your CI configuration. For consistency, you should suffix your custom
SAST jobs with `-sast`. Here's how to add a scanning job that's based on the
Docker image `my-docker-registry/analyzers/csharp` and generates a SAST report
`gl-sast-report.json` when `/analyzer run` is executed. Define the following in
`.gitlab-ci.yml`:

```yaml
csharp-sast:
  image:
    name: "my-docker-registry/analyzers/csharp"
  script:
    - /analyzer run
  artifacts:
    reports:
      sast: gl-sast-report.json
```

The [Security Scanner Integration](../../../development/integrations/secure.md) documentation explains how to integrate custom security scanners into GitLab.

## Analyzers Data

| Property / Tool                         | Apex                 | Bandit               | Brakeman             | ESLint security      | SpotBugs             | Flawfinder           | Gosec                | Kubesec Scanner      | NodeJsScan           | PHP CS Security Audit   | Security code Scan (.NET)   | Sobelow            |
| --------------------------------------- | :------------------: | :------------------: | :------------------: | :------------------: | :------------------: | :------------------: | :------------------: | :------------------: | :------------------: | :---------------------: | :-------------------------: | :----------------: |
| Severity                                | ✓                    | ✓                    | 𐄂                    | 𐄂                    | ✓                    | ✓                    | ✓                    | ✓                    | 𐄂                    | ✓                       | 𐄂                           | 𐄂                  |
| Title                                   | ✓                    | ✓                    | ✓                    | ✓                    | ✓                    | ✓                    | ✓                    | ✓                    | ✓                    | ✓                       | ✓                           | ✓                  |
| Description                             | ✓                    | 𐄂                    | 𐄂                    | ✓                    | ✓                    | 𐄂                    | 𐄂                    | ✓                    | ✓                    | 𐄂                       | 𐄂                           | ✓                  |
| File                                    | ✓                    | ✓                    | ✓                    | ✓                    | ✓                    | ✓                    | ✓                    | ✓                    | ✓                    | ✓                       | ✓                           | ✓                  |
| Start line                              | ✓                    | ✓                    | ✓                    | ✓                    | ✓                    | ✓                    | ✓                    | 𐄂                    | ✓                    | ✓                       | ✓                           | ✓                  |
| End line                                | ✓                    | ✓                    | 𐄂                    | ✓                    | ✓                    | 𐄂                    | 𐄂                    | 𐄂                    | 𐄂                    | 𐄂                       | 𐄂                           | 𐄂                  |
| Start column                            | ✓                    | 𐄂                    | 𐄂                    | ✓                    | ✓                    | ✓                    | ✓                    | 𐄂                    | 𐄂                    | ✓                       | ✓                           | 𐄂                  |
| End column                              | ✓                    | 𐄂                    | 𐄂                    | ✓                    | ✓                    | 𐄂                    | 𐄂                    | 𐄂                    | 𐄂                    | 𐄂                       | 𐄂                           | 𐄂                  |
| External ID (e.g. CVE)                  | 𐄂                    | 𐄂                    | ⚠                    | 𐄂                    | ⚠                    | ✓                    | 𐄂                    | 𐄂                    | 𐄂                    | 𐄂                       | 𐄂                           | 𐄂                  |
| URLs                                    | ✓                    | 𐄂                    | ✓                    | 𐄂                    | ⚠                    | 𐄂                    | ⚠                    | 𐄂                    | 𐄂                    | 𐄂                       | 𐄂                           | 𐄂                  |
| Internal doc/explanation                | ✓                    | ⚠                    | ✓                    | 𐄂                    | ✓                    | 𐄂                    | 𐄂                    | 𐄂                    | 𐄂                    | 𐄂                       | 𐄂                           | ✓                  |
| Solution                                | ✓                    | 𐄂                    | 𐄂                    | 𐄂                    | ⚠                    | ✓                    | 𐄂                    | 𐄂                    | 𐄂                    | 𐄂                       | 𐄂                           | 𐄂                  |
| Affected item (e.g. class or package)   | ✓                    | 𐄂                    | ✓                    | 𐄂                    | ✓                    | ✓                    | 𐄂                    | ✓                    | 𐄂                    | 𐄂                       | 𐄂                           | 𐄂                  |
| Confidence                              | 𐄂                    | ✓                    | ✓                    | 𐄂                    | ✓                    | x                    | ✓                    | ✓                    | 𐄂                    | 𐄂                       | 𐄂                           | ✓                  |
| Source code extract                     | 𐄂                    | ✓                    | ✓                    | ✓                    | 𐄂                    | ✓                    | ✓                    | 𐄂                    | 𐄂                    | 𐄂                       | 𐄂                           | 𐄂                  |
| Internal ID                             | ✓                    | ✓                    | ✓                    | ✓                    | ✓                    | ✓                    | ✓                    | 𐄂                    | 𐄂                    | ✓                       | ✓                           | ✓                  |

- ✓ => we have that data
- ⚠ => we have that data but it's partially reliable, or we need to extract it from unstructured content
- 𐄂 => we don't have that data or it would need to develop specific or inefficient/unreliable logic to obtain it.

The values provided by these tools are heterogeneous so they are sometimes
normalized into common values (e.g., `severity`, `confidence`, etc).
