Recommended Tools

Tools we actually use and recommend. Most are free or have a free tier.

Bastion

Freemium
Code Scanning

Security scanner that runs locally and never uploads your code. Checks headers, configs, and dependencies. Explains every finding and gives you an AI prompt to fix it.

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eslint-plugin-security

Free
Code Scanning

ESLint plugin that flags security issues in Node.js code. Catches eval usage, non-literal requires, timing attacks, and other risky patterns.

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GitHub Advanced Security

Freemium
Code Scanning

CodeQL code scanning, secret detection, and dependency review right in GitHub. Flags issues directly in your pull requests.

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Skylos

Freemium
Code Scanning

Uses ML to find code vulnerabilities that rule-based scanners miss. Pairs well with Bastion for full coverage.

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SonarCloud

Freemium
Code Scanning

Hosted code quality and security scanner. Catches bugs, vulnerabilities, and code smells. Supports 30+ languages.

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npm audit

Free
Dependency Scanning

Built into Node.js. Checks your installed packages against the GitHub Advisory Database for known vulnerabilities.

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Snyk

Freemium
Dependency Scanning

Scans your dependencies, containers, and infrastructure-as-code for known vulnerabilities. Good CI integration and auto-fix PRs.

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Trivy

Free
Dependency Scanning

Open-source vulnerability scanner for containers, file systems, git repos, and Kubernetes. Fast and easy to add to CI.

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Helmet.js

Free
HTTP Headers

Express middleware that sets security headers for you. Handles CSP, HSTS, X-Frame-Options, and more with good defaults out of the box.

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Sentry

Freemium
Monitoring

Error tracking and performance monitoring. Useful for spotting unusual error spikes that might indicate an attack or a broken deploy.

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Secretlint

Free
Secret Detection

Catches leaked credentials before you commit them. Supports AWS keys, GCP tokens, npm tokens, private keys, and custom patterns.

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Mozilla Observatory

Free
Site Scanner

Paste in your URL and get a letter grade for your HTTP headers and TLS setup. Quick way to spot missing security headers.

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OWASP ZAP

Free
Site Scanner

Open-source scanner that tests your running web app for vulnerabilities. Finds XSS, injection, and misconfigurations by actually poking at your site.

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Dependabot

Free
Supply Chain

Built into GitHub. Automatically opens PRs when your dependencies have updates or known vulnerabilities. Includes changelogs.

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