Introduction:

What is the difference between DevSecOps and DevOps?

DevOps is a collaborative approach to software development that automates and integrates processes, from development to delivery. It is a culture of shared responsibility between developers, operations personnel, and security professionals. DevSecOps applies the same principles but with an emphasis on security – ensuring every process is secure before moving it forward.

Both DevOps and DevSecOps are focused on continuous improvement and automation, allowing teams to be more agile and responsive in their delivery. Both utilize practices like version control, configuration management, testing, and continuous integration/deployment (CI/CD). The differences lie mainly in their focus: while DevOps focuses on rapid application deployment, DevSecOps seeks to add additional layers of automated security measures throughout the pipeline.

The key distinction lies in how each handles the role of security; for DevOps, it's an afterthought or separate element, whereas, for DevSecOps, security is built into every step. Security checks, such as vulnerability scanning and penetration testing, are integrated into the CI/CD pipeline and monitored continuously. This helps ensure all code changes have been thoroughly tested and compliant before they're released into production.

Read this blog till the end to gain complete insights.

Difference Between DevOps and DevSecOps

DevOps is a combination of operations and development into IT, each holding equal importance during the entire lifecycle of the software development process. In contrast, DevSecOps adds another layer of security to this process. Although DevSecOps can be considered as an extension of the DevOps process, still the two hold some differences in their approach to reaching the business goal. Let us see the differences between them.

PURPOSE

Deeply involved in the day-to-day aspects of the engineering process. Speed is the main goal of DevOps.

The main objective of DevSecOps is to provide best-in-class security while enforcing faster process speed, accessibility, and scalability.

GOALS

DevOps focuses on eliminating the communication gap between the different teams to speed up the process of development and deployment of the code. The security aspect of the code is checked at later stages after the code deployment as their main focus is the development and deployment of the code to speed up the software application development process.

Whereas DevSecOps involves security checks at every stage of the development to avoid any technical glitch related and data privacy or security concerns that may arise later after deployment. There is no compromise on the security part in the case of the DevSecOps process. The code will pass through various automated tests keeping security in the center.

Read more here about 7 Important Cybersecurity Practices for your Small Business

METHODOLOGY

DevOps follow the CI/CD (Continuous Integration/ Continuous Delivery or Continuous Deployment) process. In this kind of software development practice, during the CI stage, continuous changes are made to the code after it goes through the testing phase where various parameters of the code are checked. Continuous Integration of the code is an automated process that takes place using various tools and techniques. After this, the code is delivered quickly as a part of the CD process. The changes that pass automated testing are automatically pushed to production and deployed to many production environments. This process ensures faster and more efficient delivery.

On the other hand, the DevSecOps process involves checking the security aspect of the code. This is the integration of DevOps and SecOps processes. DevSecOps blends seamlessly with the CI/CD process. Here all the pipelines are tested for vulnerabilities in the application during the development phase to avoid future data issues. This helps in saving time, and money, and a code that is tested for security and reliability is finally deployed for delivery.

USE OF AUTOMATION

In the case of DevOps, automation is used for releasing the codes to the higher environment. It reduces human assistance and facilitates a feedback loop between operations and development teams, allowing iterative updates to be rolled out to production applications more quickly.

In contrast, for DevSecOps to be more effective, security teams use security automation tools that help them test the software application for various vulnerability factors. These tools reduce human efforts and increase speed and efficiency. Finally, DevSecOps automation helps organizations meet compliance requirements. This helps with data breaches or data security issues that may directly impact several industries like financial firms and healthcare.

Know about DevSecOps Practices  - Benefits, Importance, and Commonly Used DevSecOps Tools here

ADVANTAGES

Since DevOps practices focus on increasing the development and deployment of the code at a faster rate, it simplifies the overall process and also supports end-to-end software application development workflow.

While the DevSecOps process of application development detects bugs earlier in the development phase and the development team fixes them before the deployment of the code. This helps reduce the cost of resource management.

Similarities - DevOps Vs DevSecOPs

CI (CONTINUOUS INTEGRATION) PROCESS

Continuous integration (CI) is the process of merging code changes and making the latest version of this software available to developers. This also ensures that the developers and the other team members are in agreement with the changes made to the code. This helps in fixing the bugs before it reaches the deployment.

CD (CONTINUOUS DELIVERY OR CONTINUOUS DEPLOYMENT) PROCESS

Continuous delivery process makes sure that the application is fixed, tested, and uploaded to the repository where they are deployed to the production environment by the operations team. Automated tools are used to make the process seamless reducing the scope of any error.

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The process of continuous deployment also uses an automated process. It involves the releasing of changes done by the developer automatically from the repository to the production. This lets the operation team manage the tasks and lessen the overload that used to arise due to the manual processes leading to slow down of app deployments

MICROSERVICES

Microservices help the delivery team increase the team’s velocity. DevOps and DevSecOps use microservices platforms to ensure that practices like CI and CD are implemented with increased security measures. Since microservices are independent and loosely coupled, they accelerate the process of software application development. As it is an automated process, it results in fewer errors, reduced production cost, and boots productivity and product quality.

INFRASTRUCTURE AS CODE (IaC)

Infrastructure as Code (IaC) lets you provision and manage the infrastructure through code instead of a manual process. In this process, the files are created that contain your infrastructure specifications, making it easier to edit and distribute the configuration. Documenting the code and infrastructure configurations prevents you from any undocumented or ad-hoc changes, thus helping in efficient configuration management. IaC helps you to align development, security, and operations because then these teams can use the same description of the application deployment, supporting a DevOps as well as DevSecOps approach.

INCIDENT MANAGEMENT

Incident Management is an IT management service process that includes a set of steps to identify, analyze, and resolve critical incidents that, if left unresolved, can cause problems within an organization. Including an incident management process makes the process more transparent and reduces communication silos. This accelerates the decision-making process as the information reaches everyone involved in a timely manner.

What is better DevOps or DevSecOps?

DevOps is an approach to software development that emphasizes collaboration, communication, and automation. It focuses on streamlining the process of creating, testing, deploying, and monitoring applications.

DevSecOps is a security-focused evolution of DevOps. The main difference between them is that DevSecOps incorporates security into every stage of the software development lifecycle (SDLC) from design to release.

Both approaches prioritize rapid innovation, shared responsibility for the success or failure of the project, c ontinuous delivery and integration, culture change, and improved visibility across teams. However, with DevSecOps, there is an added emphasis on proactive security measures such as automated scanning for vulnerabilities and implementing policies for security compliance. Ultimately, both methods are designed to improve the speed and quality of deployments while also keeping data safe.

Conclusion:

It is very crucial for organizations to know about the key differences and similarities between DevOps and DevSecOps. This understanding will let you decide if there is a need for your company to make a shift toward the DevSecOps process.

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