Who is DevSecOps and Why It Matters

DevSecOps is a practice that combines development (Dev), operations (Ops), and security (Sec) into a single workflow.
If DevOps focuses on automation and speeding up delivery, DevSecOps adds a mandatory layer of security to the process.

What Does a DevSecOps Engineer Do?

The main responsibility is to embed security into every stage of the CI/CD pipeline.
They ensure that code, infrastructure, and processes are secure and compliant.

Key Responsibilities:

  • Automating security checks inside CI/CD.
  • Running SAST, DAST, and SCA (code, application, and dependency scanning).
  • Managing secrets (Vault, KMS, Sealed Secrets).
  • Container security (image scanning, Kubernetes admission policies).
  • Incident monitoring and response.
  • Educating Dev and Ops teams on security best practices.

How DevSecOps Differs From Classic DevOps

  • DevOps → focuses on speed, stability, and automation.
  • DevSecOps → integrates security at every step, from code to production.
  • The mission of DevSecOps is to make security a part of automation, not a blocker to speed.

Example DevSecOps Practices in Action

  • Every commit triggers dependency scanning (e.g., Trivy, Snyk).
  • Before deploying, Kubernetes manifests are validated with OPA or Kyverno.
  • Secrets are managed via HashiCorp Vault instead of being stored in Git.
  • Only trusted container images from secure registries are deployed.

Why It Matters

  • Supply chain attacks are increasing.
  • A single vulnerable dependency can compromise the whole product.
  • The earlier you catch a security issue, the cheaper it is to fix.

Conclusion

DevSecOps is not just a role but a culture that unites developers, operations, and security experts.
The goal is to make security an integral part of software delivery, not something added at the last moment.