DevOps vs DevSecOps: Differences and Similarities

DevOps and DevSecOps are modern software development approaches that help teams build, deliver, and manage software efficiently.

The fundamental idea behind both approaches is to dismantle siloed teams—development, quality testing, IT operations, and security—so that they can actively collaborate to create better software in less time.

This article will explore these approaches and discuss the core differences and key similarities between DevOps and DevSecOps.

What is DevOps?

As the name suggests, DevOps is one of the primary principles that dominate development (Dev) and Operations (Ops) teams.

Adopting a DevOps culture equips teams and organizations to deliver better software that closely matches customer needs. It also helps deliver said software in smaller timelines, allowing you to leverage a best-of-both-world situation—better products in less time.

DevOps streamlines processes across development and QAOps teams by focusing on integration, collaboration, and automation. It enhances the entire software development lifecycle, from building and testing to deployment, by standardizing environments and improving efficiency, predictability, and security.

Benefits of DevOps

The DevOps market is expected to grow from $10.4 billion (estimated) in 2023 to $25.5 billion in 2028. Atlassian found that organizations practicing DevOps ship higher quality deliverables (61%), with increased deployment frequency and faster time to market (49%).

Below are some core benefits of DevOps.

• Facilitates cordial relations (professional and innovation-based) between different teams within an organization
• Allows faster and more frequent software deployment. Faster time to market
• Lowers failure rate of new software releases as the CI/CD pipeline requires multiple automated tests
• Improves mean time to recovery

How does DevOps Work?

In a DevOps model, development and operations teams work together throughout the entire software lifecycle, breaking down the traditional silos between them.

DevOps process usually comprises of these stages –

Plan -> Develop -> Build -> Test -> Release -> Deploy -> Monitor -> Feedback

Engineers take up broader responsibilities, from coding and testing to deployment and operations. This collaboration allows teams to work efficiently and develop diverse skills, speeding up the release of high-quality software.

DevOps also integrates quality assurance and security into the process, sometimes called
DevSecOps, when security becomes a shared responsibility.

Automation plays a key role, with teams using specialized tools to streamline tasks like testing, deploying, and managing infrastructure. This reduces manual effort and enables engineers to manage tasks independently, increasing the team’s speed and productivity.

Components of DevOps

The key components of DevOps include the following:

• Continuous Exploration: Focuses on gathering insights and requirements to guide development and align products with customer needs.
• Continuous Development: Code is committed to version control systems like Git or SVN to maintain multiple code versions, and Ant, Maven, and Gradle are used to build and package the code into an executable file that can be sent to QAs for testing.
• Continuous Integration: Combines the various DevOps lifecycle stages and is key in automating the whole DevOps Process.
• Continuous Testing: Handles the developer’s automated application testing. If there is a mistake, a message is returned.
• Continuous Deployment: The application or environment is containerized, the code is constructed, and it is pushed to the selected server. Configuration management, virtualization, and containerization are the main procedures in this phase.
• Continuous Monitoring: Continuously tracks application performance and identifies issues in real-time for immediate action.
• Continuous Operations: Ensures the smooth, uninterrupted functioning of applications and infrastructure through automation and proactive management.
• Continuous Feedback: Gathers insights from monitoring and user feedback, driving ongoing improvements in development and operations.

What is DevSecOps?

DevSecOps expands the definition of security; it stands for development, security, and operations. It is similar to the DevOps strategy, except for introducing security early in the software development life cycle (SDLC). 

• The idea is to continuously build security mechanisms across the SDLC so that the delivered software isn’t just well-coded but also well-fortified – without sacrificing time or quality.
• By working in testing, triage, and risk alleviation apparatus as early as possible in the CI/CD pipeline, DevSecOps seeks to minimize the usually expensive inconvenience of fixing bugs post-production.
• This approach, just like DevOps, is part of going “Shift Left” by allowing devs to run security tests and fix issues in real-time instead of leaving it to be handled at the end of the SDLC, or worse, when it affects actual users.
• To work its magic, DevSecOps (again, like DevOps) requires implementation across the whole SDLC – planning, design, coding, testing, reworking, and release – punctuated with real-time feedback and corresponding improvements.

Benefits of DevSecOps

In general, internet users (or anyone using software) have become far more aware of information security, which is necessary. This is quickly becoming the case with non-technical users and those with practical or intellectual expertise in the development and digital process. 

• As with DevOps, implementing DevSecOps breaks silos, and requires teams/team members (development, security, operations) to collaborate productively and develop cross-team ownership of the product. 
• This contributes to creating a healthy work ecosystem where intellect and productivity thrive.
• Reduces development times by making extensive use of automation tools. This also ensures that compliance standards such as MISRA and AUTOSAR are met.
• The focus on security ensures that software developed using DevSecOps complies with privacy regulations like HIPAA and GDPR. 
• A security-first POV also allows the software to be created and fortified against threats listed on the OWASP Top 10 web application security risks, maintain PCI DSS data privacy standards, and avoid common yet dangerous errors, gaps, or loopholes. 
• Cost-effective since it prevents large, complex bugs from escaping into prod.
• As a process, DevSecOps is repeatable, scalable, and adaptable. 
• With the right tools and consistently expanding/adjusting CI/CD pipelines to match the team or organization’s needs, you can leverage the benefits of DecSecOps long-term. It isn’t a one-hit-wonder. 

How does DevSecOps work?

While nuances of the process will differ based on the organization, team, industry and requirements, DevSecOps usually comprises the following 6 stages:

Plan -> Code -> Build -> Test -> Release -> Deploy

The process emphasizes on incorporating and embedding security at every vital nerve junction in the CI/CD cycle, rather than depending of a single suite of security tests at the end of development.

• Plan: You require minimal to no automation at this stage. Team members (from multiple teams) and stakeholders confer, discuss, review and formulate a development strategy that prioritizes security. They also make decisions to organize processes for optimal benefits, such as when to run which test, the depth of scope of each test, etc.
• Code: Devs have to keep security controls at the forefront of their minds when crafting code at this point. It’s imperative to ensure this through verification practices like unit tests, code reviews, static code analysis, pre-commit hooks, etc.
• Build: Once code is committed, it enters the build process, requiring automation. CI/CD tools build and run the code, implementing security practices such as static application testing and component analysis. External dependencies and third-party applications are scanned for vulnerabilities through source composition analysis.
• Test: This stage commences once the build artifact moves to the test environment. Multiple tests are conducted before this stage, but this is where you run a comprehensive test suite on a minimum viable product.
• Release: After the above comprehensive tests, this stage pivots around examining the runtime environment infrastructure, detecting configuration management issues, and generally gaining insight into the static configuration of dynamic infra setups.
• Deploy: Here, the testing artifact is pushed to production. Your main security concerns emerge from the live user environment at this stage. Teams will check and adjust the software to the main difference between the staging and production environments.

Components of DevSecOps

The four key components of DevSecOps are as follows:

• Collaboration: DevSecOps requires the dismantling of silos between multiple teams. This approach will ensure that the goals of security and compliance teams are in harmony with development and operations goals. Dev and Ops teams can then collaborate with security teams to explore efficient ways to incorporate security controls without disrupting workflows.
• Meticulously Refined Processes: With more teams working together, there is a greater need for tracking, monitoring, and documenting all individuals’ access to systems and software. Controls must also be implemented to prevent unauthorized access and spoofing of shared logins.
• Manage Data Access control from the get-go: Public concerns around data security are at an all-time high. When starting to code software, development must share similar concerns about data access controls. You’ll also have to ensure that devs and testers get realistic, updated data without exposing sensitive sides of said data (such as PII).
• Build & Audit Secure Foundations: The foundational systems you’re implementing DevSecOps should be extremely secure.

What is the difference between DevOps and DevSecOps?

Conceptually, the fundamental idea between DevOps and DevSecOps is the same. However, some key differences separate both approaches.

Below are some differences between DevOps and DevSecOps.

Similarities between DevOps and DevSecOps

Despite some differences between DevOps and DevSecOps, there are fundamental similarities between both approaches.

The table below highlights some key similarities between DevOps and DevSecOps.

DevOps and DevSecOps Best Practices

Here are some best practices for DevOps and DevSecOps:

• Foster a culture of teamwork among development, operations, and security teams to achieve shared goals.
• Train members on DevOps and DevSecOps principles to highlight their benefits and importance.
• Utilize automation tools for CI/CD and security testing to enhance efficiency and reduce errors.
• Embed security practices into every stage of the development lifecycle to identify vulnerabilities early.
• Use a robust version control system to track code changes and enable collaboration.
• Create continuous feedback mechanisms to improve development and security processes.
• Continuously track application performance and security post-deployment to optimize user experience.

Which One to Choose: DevOps or DevSecOps?

Choosing between DevOps and DevSecOps ultimately depends on your business’s specific requirements.

To put it simply, DevSecOps adds a security layer to the DevOps process. However, It cannot replace DevOps. It expands its scope and efficacy to deliver secure, higher-quality software.

• DevSecOps intend to prioritize application security as well as application quality, functioning, and UI.
• DevSecOps seeks to take the principles, approach, and mindset inherent in good DevOps and stretch them to apply to security considerations.
• Essentially, security teams are brought into the collaborative and automated model, with security considerations being discussed, debated, and finalized from the earliest development stages.
• Much like DevOps, the goal is to detect and dismantle security issues before they metastasize to become major bottlenecks that are difficult to remove because they affect integral parts of the application.

Select the approach that aligns with your business goals and integrates smoothly into your software development lifecycle.

Evaluate factors such as your security needs, collaboration objectives, and the overall importance of speed versus security to determine the best option for your organization.

Tools Used in DevOps and DevSecOps

Despite the differences between DevOps and DevSecOps, there are common tools used for both processes.

Below is a table of the commonly used tools in DevOps and DevSecOps.

Converting from DevOps to DevSecOps (Checklist included)

Here’s a checklist on how to easily convert from DevOps to DevSecOps.

• Clearly define your goals for transitioning to DevSecOps, such as improved security, faster deployments, or increased efficiency.
• Assess your current workflow to identify communication gaps between development and security teams and pinpoint bottlenecks.
• Implement automation tools for tasks like code reviews, security testing, and deployments to enhance efficiency.
• Educate your team on the importance of security and provide training on integrating security practices into their workflows through documentation and sessions.

Talk to an Expert

Using BrowserStack Automate for DevSecOps and DevOps

Automation tools are central to successfully implementing both DevOps and DevSecOps. To ensure the frequency of deployment these methods achieve, teams must make extensive and consistent use of automated tools for building, testing, reviewing, deploying, and monitoring code. 

• The only difference in tooling between the two is that DevSecOps requires a set of security testing tools (or tools that also cover security modules) on top of the CI/CD tools required to succeed with DevOps. 
• Depending on your tool usage during DevOps, you might have to upgrade existing tools or purchase new ones when shifting to a DevSecOps ecosystem. 

BrowserStack provides several integrations with popular CI/CD tools that help implement DevOps. This includes tools such as Jira, Jenkins, TeamCity, Travis CI, and more. It also provides a cloud Selenium grid of 3500+ real browsers and devices for testing purposes. Additionally, in-built debugging tools let testers identify and resolve bugs immediately.

• Test all code, be it manual or automated testing (ideally, both).
• Keep testing environments (staging, QA, production) as pristine as possible. 
• Try to keep pace with innovations (of thought or tech) related to DevOps. One cannot afford to fall behind in the breakneck battlefield of software development.

Conclusion

Automation tools are important for the success of both DevOps and DevSecOps, enabling teams to deploy code frequently and reliably. While transitioning to DevSecOps may require additional security testing tools, leveraging platforms like BrowserStack can streamline this process with robust integrations and cloud-based testing solutions.

Start Testing on BrowserStack

Useful Resources for DevOps

Understanding DevOps:

• What is DevOps
• DevOps Shift Left Testing: A Detailed Guide
• What is the ultimate goal of DevOps?
• Benefits of DevOps
• What is DevOps Configuration Management?
• What is Continuous Delivery in DevOps?
• What is a DevOps Pipeline? How to Build One
• What is DevOps Observability (Importance & Best Practices)
• DevOps Testing Strategy
• How to improve DevOps Feedback Loop
• Python For DevOps: An Ultimate Guide
• What is DevOps Automation and How is it Helpful?
• Importance of DevOps Team Structure
• The Role of QA in DevOps
• Top Challenges in DevOps and How to Solve Them
• Top 21 Monitoring Tools in DevOps for 2024

Know the difference:

• DevOps vs Scrum: Key Differences
• Breaking Down MLOps vs DevOps: Similarities and Differences
• DevOps vs SysOps: What are the major differences
• DataOps vs DevOps: Key Differences
• TechOps, DevOps, and NoOps: Which one is right for you?
• DevOps vs CloudOps: How are they different
• DevOps Engineer vs Full Stack Developer: Differences
• Synchronize Business Analysis, DevOps, and QA with Cloud Testing