Product Overview: GitHub Code Scanning
GitHub Code Scanning is a powerful feature designed to enhance the security and integrity of code in GitHub repositories. Here’s a detailed overview of what it does and its key features.
What it Does
GitHub Code Scanning is a tool that analyzes the code in a GitHub repository to identify security vulnerabilities and coding errors. This feature is part of GitHub Advanced Security and is aimed at helping developers detect and fix issues before they reach production.
Key Features and Functionality
Supported Repositories
Code scanning is available for public repositories on GitHub.com and organization-owned repositories on GitHub Enterprise Cloud with GitHub Advanced Security enabled.
Languages Supported
Code scanning supports a wide range of programming languages, including C/C , C#, Go, Java, JavaScript/TypeScript, Python, Ruby, Swift, and even GitHub Actions workflows (though the latter is currently in public preview).
Analysis Engine
The core engine behind code scanning is CodeQL, a programming language and associated tools developed by GitHub. CodeQL treats code as data, allowing for more accurate and comprehensive analysis of potential vulnerabilities and errors.
Configuration and Execution
- Default Setup: Quickly configure CodeQL analysis with automatic selection of languages to analyze, query suites to run, and events that trigger scans.
- Advanced Setup: Customize the CodeQL workflow by manually selecting query suites and languages, and integrating it into your repository.
- External CI Systems: Run CodeQL CLI directly in an external continuous integration (CI) system and upload the results to GitHub.
Alerts and Fixes
When code scanning identifies a potential vulnerability or error, GitHub displays an alert in the repository. Developers can triage, prioritize, and fix these issues. Once the code is fixed, GitHub closes the alert. Additionally, GitHub Copilot Autofix can suggest fixes for alerts, especially in private repositories, to reduce vulnerabilities with less effort.
Scheduling and Triggers
Code scanning can be scheduled to run at specific days and times or triggered by events such as pushes to the repository. This flexibility ensures that code is continuously monitored for new issues.
Integration with CI/CD
Code scanning can be integrated with existing CI/CD infrastructure using GitHub Actions or third-party tools. This allows for seamless incorporation into the development workflow.
Customization and Community Contributions
Developers can write and contribute to custom CodeQL queries to extend the analysis capabilities. Libraries and models for popular frameworks and custom dependencies can also be created using the CodeQL extension for Visual Studio Code.
Benefits
- Early Detection: Identifies security vulnerabilities and coding errors early in the development cycle.
- Automated Security Checks: Automates security checks using CodeQL, reducing manual effort.
- Customizable: Allows for advanced setup and customization to fit specific project needs.
- Integration: Seamlessly integrates with GitHub Actions and existing CI/CD systems.
- Community Support: Benefits from community contributions and regularly updated queries to improve analysis accuracy.
By leveraging GitHub Code Scanning, developers can significantly enhance the security and quality of their code, ensuring that vulnerabilities are addressed before they become critical issues.