The Developer-First Alternative to Veracode

StackHawk delivers automated DAST and comprehensive API security testing. Our runtime, CI/CD-native testing complete scans in minutes instead of hours and is extended by source code-driven API discovery that maps your complete attack surface before deployment.

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Why Choose StackHawk Over Veracode?

StackHawk is the only true shift-left DAST platform that’s purpose-built to bridge the gap between security and development teams to enable secure software delivery at the speed of AI development. Unlike Veracode, which runs multi-hour scans designed for periodic security audits and charges per application, StackHawk delivers security testing results in minutes while discovering your complete attack surface from source code and enabling developers to find and fix vulnerabilities before they reach production, not weeks after deployment.

Trusted by the Following Flocks

Scans That Fit CI/CD Timelines

StackHawk completes comprehensive API and application security scans in minutes, enabling true CI/CD integration where testing happens on every build and developers receive immediate feedback while code context is fresh. Our portable scanner runs directly in your infrastructure or CI/CD pipeline and enables the velocity modern development teams require. Organizations shipping multiple times daily need security testing that keeps pace, not creates bottlenecks.

Veracode scans typically take hours to days to complete, running outside CI/CD pipelines as periodic compliance checks rather than continuous validation. While Veracode offers CI/CD plugins, scans execute in cloud-hosted environments with network latency that compounds across thousands of API endpoints. Developers wait hours for security feedback that arrives after code has shipped, when fixes cost more than catching issues pre-production.

Proactive API Discovery from Source Code

StackHawk automatically discovers your complete attack surface through source code analysis before deployment, mapping every REST, GraphQL, gRPC, and SOAP API the moment they’re committed—including shadow APIs, internal microservices, and AI/LLM integrations that never make it into documentation. This proactive visibility means you can test and secure APIs before they’re exposed to production, preventing the security blindspots that lead to breaches in the AI development era.

Veracode discovers assets reactively by scanning domains, FQDNs, URLs, or IP addresses, only finding APIs after they’re externally exposed. Shadow APIs, internal microservices, and undocumented endpoints remain invisible until they’re already in production and potentially exploited. When developers generate new API services in minutes with AI assistance, reactive discovery creates a constantly expanding window of risk between deployment and detection.

Built for Developer Adoption

StackHawk empowers developers to own security testing through YAML-based configuration, JavaScript custom tests for business logic, and immediate feedback integrated directly into their existing tools—PR comments, Slack notifications, Jira tickets with cURL commands and framework-specific fix guidance. Security testing becomes a natural extension of the development workflow, not a separate audit process controlled by security teams. Developers can self-serve, adopt quickly, and fix vulnerabilities immediately.

Veracode is designed as a security team-centric platform with portal-managed scans, binary uploads, and complex configurations that require security expertise. While Veracode offers AI-generated code patches, these arrive after code has already shipped to production. The security-first workflow creates friction between vulnerability detection and remediation, making developers dependent on security teams rather than empowered to fix issues themselves during development.

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Veracode vs StackHawk Feature Comparison Guide

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Features

StackHawk

Veracode

Developer Experience

Actionable vulnerability feedback integrated into every pull request with clear remediation steps that fit developer workflows

Security-team-focused portal requiring manual navigation through findings; developers wait hours/days for scan results delivered outside their workflow

API Discovery

Source code-driven discovery finds internal and public-facing APIs before deployment, preventing exposure

Requires manual upload of API specifications (OpenAPI/Swagger); crawling-based EASM only discovers publicly exposed APIs after deployment

API Security Testing

Comprehensive testing for all API types: REST, SOAP, GraphQL, and gRPC

REST API support only; SOAP explicitly unsupported, no GraphQL or gRPC capabilities documented

CI/CD Integration

Native pipeline integration across all major platforms with scans that complete within standard build times

Integration available but requires significant configuration; scan times of 30+ minutes create pipeline bottlenecks

Business Logic Testing

Deterministic tests support detection of complex business logic flaws with full transparency and customization

Focuses on standard OWASP vulnerabilities; limited support for custom business logic testing requiring manual test case creation

Frequently Asked Questions About StackHawk and Veracode

What are the benefits of StackHawk's portable scanner over Veracode's hosted scanner?

Cloud-hosted scanners suffer from network latency penalties, with every request traveling across the public internet and back, adding 50-200ms per round trip that compounds across thousands of API endpoints. They also compete for bandwidth with other network traffic and face geographic distance delays that slow scan completion. StackHawk’s scanner runs within your infrastructure or CI/CD pipeline, eliminating internet latency and bandwidth competition. This proximity enables faster request/response cycles, higher concurrency, and more comprehensive security testing within typical development timelines.

We need comprehensive SAST coverage too, doesn't Veracode's platform approach make more sense?

StackHawk is best-of-breed DAST that integrates with other best-of-breed SAST tools like Snyk Code or GitHub CodeQL to deliver correlated findings. This shows which vulnerabilities are exploitable at runtime and where they exist in code, reducing noise and accelerating fixes. Platform consolidation sounds efficient, but in practice creates vendor lock-in and forces you to accept “good enough” tools across the board rather than best-in-class security testing where it matters most.

How does StackHawk handle enterprise compliance and audit requirements?

Our scan summary report provides a clear record of your findings history, well-suited for audit compliance, and our API offers the flexibility to integrate with any external reporting platform you choose, whether that’s ServiceNow, Jira, or compliance management tools. Rather than forcing you into Veracode’s compliance framework, we give you the data you need to integrate with whatever audit and reporting systems your organization already uses.

Can I schedule scans with StackHawk like I can with Veracode?

Yes. You can schedule tests with StackHawk using any scheduling tool your team already uses, such as cron jobs, CI/CD pipeline schedules, or enterprise schedulers. Rather than adding a standalone “scan button,” we integrate with your existing DevSecOps toolchain. This ensures security testing happens automatically within your development workflows, not as a manual afterthought, while still supporting scheduled periodic scans when needed for compliance.

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