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Introduction
You must have heard about terms like software development cycle, information technology, software delivery, etc. DevOps is a methodology that brings together the software development and operation teams. It helps meet the expectations and helps improve the efficiency of the software. Both coding and system administration are kept together in it.
In this article, we will study DevOps vs DevSecOps.
What is DevOps?
DevOps is a combination of methods to reduce the delivery time of software updates for the users. It culminates in software development(Dev) and Information Technology(Ops), hence the name DevOps. It improves the process of software delivery through automation. It enhances the development process through testing and then deploys it to production. It helps the developers get their codes into production faster, reducing the number of steps between them.
It also improves the developers' and operation teams' collaboration and communication. Many organizations use it today to increase efficiency and speed up software delivery. Also, it makes it easier to identify and fix bugs and errors.
What is DevSecOps?
DevSecOps is the new concept that secures the intersection between development and operations teams. It aims to integrate every development and delivery process step with security. By doing this, DevSecOps reduces the number and risk of vulnerabilities and improves the quality of the software. It includes automation and other tools to boost the communication between development, security, and operations teams.
Similarities between DevOps and DevSecOps
First, let us note the similarities between DevOps and DevSecOps.
Automation:- DevOps and DevSecOps prioritize automation during the development and deployment phase of the software to improve its efficiency and streamline these processes. It allows quicker release cycles and reliable code deployments.
Monitoring:- DevOps and DevSecOps include actively monitoring the software development process. All the errors, potential risks, vulnerabilities, and security breaches are monitored and corrected to optimize the performance of the software. It results in a secure and smooth operation of the software.
Collaboration:- DevOps and DevSecOps share a vital component: collaboration. Both try to streamline the communication and collaboration between different teams to work together towards a common goal.
Differences between DevOps and DevSecOps
Now that we have discussed the similarities, let us discuss DevOps vs DevSecOps.
The main difference between the two is the level of security. Instead of integrating security with the process at the end of the Software development life cycle, DevSecOps aims to secure each process step. It joins security into the continuous integration/continuous development (CI/CD) pipeline.
The core concept of DevOps is the shared responsibility between separate teams for delivering the software. It helps produce fast iterations and deploys successful applications. DevSecOps extends this nature by integrating security with each process step. DevSecOps is an evolution of DevOps, not an entirely different concept. DevOps teams can adapt to DevSecOps methodologies. Many DevOps tools sometimes neglect security and focus on fast deliveries only. That is where DevSecOps comes into play. Using slow traditional pipelines, DevOps may lead to security bottlenecks. Therefore, DevSecOps came to light through its faster and more reliable security integration.
Comparison Table of DevOps vs DevSecOps
Let us discuss DevOps vs DesSecOps using a comparison table below.
Criteria
DevOps
DevSecOps
Philosophy
It focuses on faster software delivery by sharing responsibilities between development and operations teams.
It emphasizes integrating security with each process in the software development life cycle.
Teams
It includes development and operations teams.
It includes development, security, and operations teams.
Processes
It includes continuous integration/continuous development (CI/CD).
It includes CI/CD as well as security-related tasks.
Assessment of Vulnerabilities
Here, vulnerabilities are not generally addressed throughout the process.
Here, vulnerabilities are always addressed throughout the life cycle of the process.
Security Tools
It combines DevOps pipelines with traditional security tools.
It includes new security tools. It adapts security to the CI/CD workflow.
Efficiency
It results in security bottlenecks many times. It can also lead to technical debts by dint of slow feedback loops.
It reduces the security issues and vulnerabilities associated with the software. It also enables scalability without compromising the security.
Tools Used
Chef, Jenkins, Ansible, Puppet.
Puppet, Ansible, Chef, and Jenkins, along with security-specific tools like Burp Suite, Veracode, etc.
Transition From DevOps to DevSecOps
If an organization wants a transition from DevOps to DevSecOps, it needs to familiarize its team with the security ideas for the process. Clear goals should be defined. Security should be the primary concern when transitioning from DevOps to DevSecOps. Also, the team members should be on board with implementing the security methods at every process step.
Then, the organization should assess its workflow. Areas of improvement should be noted down. Automation should also be improved to increase efficiency.
Also, there are various testing methods for it. Some of them are listed below:-
SAST(Static Application Security Testing):- It examines the whole code to identify the areas of weakness.
DAST(Dynamic Application Security Testing):- In it, administrators identify security gaps and vulnerabilities.
IAST(Interactive Application Security Testing):- It joins SAST and DAST to assess the application.
SCA(Software Composition Analysis):- It automatically identifies vulnerabilities in third-party open libraries and notifies the users of updates.
RASP(Runtime Application Self Protection):- It uses real-time application data to identify and rectify attacks.
Also, the team should know the new security-related tasks and techniques and their integration with the workflow for transitioning from DevOps to DevSecOps.
Finally, it depends on whether the organization wants to switch between the two. If the primary focus is delivering software quickly, emphasizing speed and flexibility, the organization should prefer DevOps. For someone who wants to put extra effort into securing the process much more than the traditional methods, DevSecOps is a better choice.
DevOps vs DevSecOps: Which One to Choose?
There are numerous methodologies in software development. The two most used are DevOps and DevSecOps. The primary domain of difference between the two is security.
DevOps emphasizes smooth communication between different teams so that the team can deliver software products quickly.
At the same time, DevSecOps focuses on the security part. It aims at integrating security with all the steps of the development process. Today, when cyber attacks and security breaches are common, security is a major concern for any software. And that is where DevSecOps comes into play.
So, it is up to you which one you want to choose. If you want to choose fast and flexible deliveries of your software with traditional security systems, and you want to streamline the communication between different teams; DevOps should be your pick. Whereas, if you wish to focus on the security part of your application, and want good communication between teams as well as protection for your software, DevSecOps should be the pick.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is DevOps?
DevOps is a combination of methods to reduce the delivery time of software updates for the users. It improves the process of software delivery through automation. It emphasizes the shared responsibility and communication between the development and operations teams for faster software deliveries.
What is DevSecOps?
DevSecOps is the new concept that secures the intersection between development and operations teams. It aims to integrate every development and delivery process step with security. DevSecOps reduces the number and risk of vulnerabilities and improves the quality of the software.
What is the vital difference between DevOps and DevSecOps?
When it comes to DevOps vs DevSecOps, it comes to security concerns. DevOps emphasizes faster software delivery with the shared responsibility of development and operations teams. DevSecOps emphasizes security. It integrates security-related steps at each part of the process.
What are some similarities between DevOps and DevSecOps?
The similarities between DevOps and DevSecOps are that both support automation, collaboration, communication between different teams, and active monitoring of the whole process. All of these are required for efficient and faster software deliveries.
Conclusion
DevOps and DevSecOps are not entirely different concepts. DevSecOps is just an evolution of the former and is considered the future of DevOps. Both have differences in their philosophies. In this article, we studied DevOps vs DevSecOps. We started with their introduction, their similarities, and their differences. Finally, we learned their transition and which one to choose.
To learn more about DevOps, you must read the following articles:-
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