Semgrep OSS → Veracode
Semgrep OSS ↔ Veracode: integration to migration path.
Your SAST gate is load-bearing, so we never flip a switch. Semgrep deploys alongside Veracode first — running advisory in your pipeline while Veracode's policy gate keeps owning every release decision — and only takes the PR gate once it has proven its recall on Veracode's critical and high findings. No flag day, no re-tooling event, and every per-phase step rolls back in minutes.
The honest exception we lead with: this is a partial retirement. Veracode's post-compile binary analysis, legacy-language coverage, and compliance attestation packs have no OSS equal — they stay scoped in until your inventory proves otherwise.
The idea
Run Semgrep in the pipeline first. Keep Veracode where only it can reach.
The topology that makes this zero-downtime: Semgrep runs as an advisory per-PR job, with --baseline-ref so it flags only net-new findings and never drowns the developer on the legacy backlog, while Veracode Static Analysis stays the policy gate of record. Both emit SARIF into one DefectDojo aggregator, deduped on CWE plus file plus line. Once a per-finding agreement audit shows Semgrep recalls at least 95% of Veracode's critical and high findings in the languages it covers, Semgrep is promoted to PR-blocking and Veracode drops to a release-gate — then its source-code SAST line is retired, while binary scans, legacy-language coverage, and compliance packs stay exactly where only Veracode can serve them.
The phases
Six steps. Each one reversible.
Baseline & inventory
We document each app's language, build-artifact type, Veracode scan types in use, open findings by severity, compliance scope flag, and any closed-source binary dependencies — then build a languages-versus-Semgrep-coverage matrix. Read-only.
Semgrep CI in shadow
Semgrep runs on every PR for in-scope repos, posting inline comments and writing SARIF to code scanning, with a baseline so the legacy diff does not drown the comments. Findings are advisory only and never block. Veracode's policy gate is unchanged.
Per-finding agreement audit
DefectDojo ingests both SARIF streams and we reconcile them by CWE plus file plus line range, classifying each disagreement as a Semgrep rule gap, framework magic, a Semgrep-only real finding, or agreement. We tune private rules for every false negative.
Semgrep blocking; Veracode to release-gate
Semgrep blocks PRs on net-new critical and high findings while legacy stays warn-only. Veracode Static Analysis moves from per-PR to once per release candidate, keeping its release-veto power for roughly 30 days of belt-and-braces.
Retire Veracode SAST source workload
Veracode Pipeline Scan and source/IR Static Analysis are disabled for languages Semgrep covers. Veracode Static Analysis remains active only for binary scans of closed-source artifacts and any legacy-language apps. SCA is retained or replaced with OSS per topology.
Final retirement (partial by design)
The Veracode SAST source line item is cancelled. Veracode is honestly retained for whichever of binary scans, legacy-language SAST, FedRAMP/StateRAMP attestation packs, or the manual-pentest bundle still apply, and the contract is renegotiated to the reduced footprint.
Feature parity
Where Semgrep matches Veracode — and where it honestly does not.
| Capability | Semgrep OSS | Veracode | Parity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Scan type (source SAST) | AST pattern matching plus intra-proc taint | Veracode Pipeline Scan (source-IR) | At parity |
| Binary / bytecode analysis | None (source only) | Veracode Static Analysis on compiled .jar / MSIL / native | SaaS only |
| Reachability / dataflow | mode: taint intra-proc; cross-file via Pro | Native inter-procedural over lifted IR | SaaS only |
| Language coverage | Mainstream first-class; no COBOL/ColdFusion/VB6/RPG | Mainstream plus legacy-language SKUs | Partial |
| Finding format (SARIF) | SARIF 2.1.0 native plus partialFingerprints | SARIF plus proprietary XML | Partial |
| SCA (dependency vulns) | OSV-Scanner plus Syft+Grype plus Trivy (companion) | Veracode SCA with malicious-package telemetry | Partial |
| Rule authoring | .semgrep/ YAML plus semgrep test unit fixtures | Custom rules limited; often Pro Services | OSS only |
| CI / PR integration | semgrep ci PR comments plus GH code scanning | Veracode CLI upload; Greenlight IDE (SKU) | At parity |
| PR feedback latency | Seconds to about 2 min diff-scoped | 10 to 60 min queued binary scan | OSS only |
| Auto-remediation | --autofix (rule-author-defined, deterministic) | Veracode Fix (LLM-generated) | Partial |
| Dashboards / reporting | DefectDojo / GH code scanning | Veracode Platform UI plus report exports | Partial |
| Manual pentest (MPT) | None (contract boutique separately) | Bundled MPT deliverables on vendor cadence | SaaS only |
| Deployment model | Self-hosted engine | SaaS vendor-hosted | OSS only |
| Cost model | OSS free; Pro/Platform per-contributor | Per-app plus per-scan plus per-feature SKU stack | OSS only |
| Compliance (FedRAMP) | Self-owned evidence; 3PAO acceptance varies | Vendor FedRAMP/StateRAMP/DoD attestation packs | SaaS only |
What we're honest about
The caveats most vendors leave out.
Binary analysis has no OSS replacement
Veracode decompiles the compiled artifact and runs inter-procedural data-flow over a lifted intermediate representation — catching taint through reflection, dynamic proxies, and bundled third-party closed-source libraries even when your source is clean. Semgrep parses source text and cannot scan a third-party .jar it never sees. If your risk surface is dominated by closed-source binaries you ship, full retirement is off the table; the binary scan stays.
Legacy languages are not covered at all
Semgrep does not support COBOL, ColdFusion, VB6, RPG, or classic ASP. If any production code is in those languages, the Veracode legacy SKU stays, those repos are scoped out of Semgrep onboarding explicitly, and full retirement is not viable.
Compliance packs and MPT are vendor deliverables
Veracode's FedRAMP, StateRAMP, and DoD attestation packs are recognised by auditors without negotiation, and its Manual Penetration Test reports ship on a vendor cadence. 3PAO acceptance of Semgrep plus DefectDojo plus signed CycloneDX varies — confirm in writing before cancelling, and contract a boutique pentest firm before the MPT bundle lapses.
Inter-procedural taint favours Veracode
Semgrep OSS taint runs intra-procedurally; framework-magic CWEs that thread through a Spring controller to a service to a repository can be false negatives. We either backstop with the release-gate binary scan, write project-specific pattern-inside rules, or note that Semgrep Pro Engine closes part of the gap — but Pro is a paid product, so leaning on it makes this a vendor swap, not an OSS migration.
Why this beats a flag day
Reversible per phase. Soaked before any contract changes.
Every phase in this plan reverts in under 15 minutes — re-adding the veracode upload step or demoting a Semgrep rule is a CI config change, not a rebuild. And no Veracode line item is cancelled until Semgrep has run as the sole PR-blocking gate through a minimum 30-day soak with zero production incidents traceable to a CWE it should have caught. Cancelled lines re-instate inside the contract grace window, and we keep the binary, legacy, and compliance lines exactly as long as your inventory says they are needed. The contract is the last thing to change.
See how much of Veracode you can honestly retire.
A 30-minute call with a senior AppSec engineer. We inventory your languages, closed-source binaries, and compliance scope, then tell you exactly which Veracode line items Semgrep can replace and which must stay — before procurement touches the contract.
Map my migration →