6 Reasons to use source code analysis

When static code analysis is used as part of a DevOps process, the automated review process provides several benefits to development teams. Here are six reasons to use source code analysis.

1. Cost & Time Savings

Source code analysis differs from other testing techniques in that it allows you to identify code errors without actually running the code.  The cost of fixing issues increases exponentially as development progresses from one phase to another. Static code review saves your team time and effort from development to code review and testing. It can also save you millions of dollars in unanticipated costs by allowing you to detect code issues and bugs early when it’s still much cheaper.

2. Improve Code Security

Code security is a major concern for software developers. With almost everything these days being run by software, you must constantly scan your code for potential vulnerabilities common in modern applications (e.g., insufficient encryption, resource leaks, insecure interfaces, buffer overflows, etc.). Static code analysis automatically checks your code for security flaws as you write it, thus helping to prevent data breaches. By incorporating security into the early stages of development, you can significantly reduce both the cost and risk of downstream security threats.

3. Lower Defect Rate

Static code analysis tools reduce software defects by detecting code issues and bugs before they make their way into released versions of a software system. Source code analysis is also useful for preventing structural defects from reoccurring in the future. You can leverage it to implement a defect prevention policy, which eventually reduces code defects throughout the software development life cycle. When developing highly complex, safety- and mission-critical software systems, the ability to detect defects early on is of the utmost importance, as a single flaw can have serious consequences—potentially leading to fatalities, injuries, or system failures.

4. Streamlined Processes

Incorporating static code analysis into DevOps, automated CI/CD workflows reduces code review workloads and frees up developers' time for other important tasks. It also provides developers with the precise and timely feedback they need to adopt better programming habits, write better code, learn from their mistakes, and avoid similar code issues in the future.

5. Reduces Risk Associated with Complex, Large Codebases

As software systems become vital for delivering real business values, codebases become more complex and rapidly growing. Usually, a large codebase would comprise both new and modified legacy codes. Though modifying and reusing code can lower software development costs, it also raises the risk of bugs, and it is complicated to transfer the code from one location to another.

Many junior engineers, for example, copy code from different websites like StackOverflow without evaluating the effect of the code they're copying. Static code analysis helps to address this complexity and its associated risk. It allows you to analyze the new and legacy codes before they're added to a project. Static code analysis offers a means for enforcing development standards across both external and internal development teams.

6. Continuous Improvement

Static code analysis provides early insights into code errors and allows you to identify potential code improvements during a typical development workflow. It helps lower defect rates and enhances the quality of code modifications a developer makes before pushing the code to the source code repository. Further, static code review helps you discover flaws as you code that can be difficult to detect manually. In short, it enables developers to build software without sacrificing quality, speed, and accuracy.

Static code analysis is an effective way to improve code quality and application security, while minimizing code defects at reduced downstream costs and time.

In the following sections, we'll help you understand the questions you need to ask before choosing a static code analysis tool.