legitify
Legitify is a command-line security scanner for GitHub and GitLab that detects misconfigurations and compliance violations across organizations, repositories, and CI/CD pipelines. It runs policy checks locally or in CI workflows and outputs actionable remediation guidance.
Key facts
Objective fields from the source. Values we can't verify are shown as “Unknown” rather than guessed.
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Repository | Legit-Labs/legitify |
| Owner | Legit-Labs |
| Primary language | Go |
| License | Apache-2.0 — OSI-approved |
| Stars | 875 |
| Forks | 78 |
| Open issues | 16 |
| Latest release | v1.0.11 (2024-07-09) |
| Last updated | 2025-03-28 |
| Source | https://github.com/Legit-Labs/legitify |
What legitify is
Go-based tool that uses GitHub/GitLab APIs to audit SCM infrastructure against a built-in policy library. Supports GitHub Cloud, GitHub Enterprise Server, GitLab Cloud, and GitLab Server. Includes SLSA Level 3 provenance attestation and integrates as a GitHub CLI extension or custom action.
Get the legitify source
Clone the repository and explore it locally.
git clone https://github.com/Legit-Labs/legitify.gitcd legitify# follow the project's README for install & configurationNeed it deployed, integrated, or customized instead? DEV.co ships production installs.
Best use cases
Implementation considerations
- Requires valid SCM tokens with broad scopes (admin:org, read:enterprise, repo, etc.); plan PAT rotation and secure storage strategy.
- Policy enforcement is advisory (scan + report); no built-in blocking or automatic remediation—requires downstream integration (CI gates, approvals, ticketing).
- For GitLab, non-premium accounts skip branch protection and advanced policies; verify feature parity with your tier before standardization.
- Latest release (v1.0.11, July 2024) is ~9 months old; last commit March 2025 shows active maintenance but moderate release cadence.
- Built-in policy library is opaque in public docs; review actual policy definitions and OpenAI GPT-analysis feature implications before use.
When to avoid it — and what to weigh
- You need real-time event-driven remediation — Legitify is a batch scanner designed for periodic analysis, not reactive policy enforcement triggered on every code push.
- You require fine-grained PAT scopes — The tool explicitly does not support GitLab or GitHub fine-grained tokens, limiting flexibility in permission isolation.
- You need graphical dashboards or trend reporting — Legitify outputs CLI/JSON results; it lacks built-in dashboarding, historical tracking, or compliance reporting interfaces.
- Your SCM uses self-signed or internal CAs exclusively — While certificate ignore flag exists, managing trust chains in air-gapped environments may require custom wrapper logic.
License & commercial use
Apache License 2.0 (Apache-2.0). Permissive OSI-approved license allowing commercial use, modification, and distribution under same terms. No proprietary restrictions.
Apache-2.0 is a permissive open-source license compatible with commercial deployment. No explicit licensing terms restrict use in corporate environments. However, Legitify is maintained by Legit Security (a commercial ASPM vendor); consider whether using the free tool aligns with procurement policies or if the paid platform is expected.
DEV.co evaluation signals
Editorial assessment — not user reviews. Directional, with an explicit confidence level.
| Signal | Assessment |
|---|---|
| Maintenance | Active |
| Documentation | Adequate |
| License clarity | Clear |
| Deployment complexity | Low |
| DEV.co fit | Good |
| Assessment confidence | High |
Tool analyzes SCM infrastructure, not production code. Requires broad API scopes; token compromise exposes org/repo/member metadata. SLSA Level 3 provenance attestation verifiable via slsa-verifier. No mention of secrets scanning, data retention, or logging in README—review vendor privacy policy if using OpenAI GPT-analysis feature (metadata sent to OpenAI servers). Local execution recommended over cloud SaaS to avoid external data exposure.
Alternatives to consider
Snyk Code + Infrastructure
Broader supply chain security (code + IaC + dependencies) with commercial support; web dashboard and remediation guidance. Steeper cost and vendor lock-in.
GitHub Advanced Security (native)
Integrated branch protection, secret scanning, and code scanning within GitHub UI. Limited to GitHub Cloud; no cross-platform support; less customizable policy engine.
Bridgecrew (now Prisma Cloud)
IaC scanning + SCM misconfiguration detection with multi-cloud support and RBAC. Enterprise pricing; heavier than Legitify for standalone GitHub/GitLab audits.
Build on legitify with DEV.co software developers
Download Legitify and run your first policy scan in minutes. Identify misconfigurations, enforce supply-chain security baselines, and integrate into your CI/CD pipeline at no cost.
Talk to DEV.coRelated on DEV.co
Explore the category and the services that help you build with it.
legitify FAQ
Can Legitify block merges or auto-remediate violations?
What happens if my GitLab account is not premium?
Is the OpenAI GPT-analysis feature safe to use?
Can I customize or disable specific policies?
Custom software development services
Need help beyond evaluating legitify? DEV.co is a software development agency offering software development services and web development for teams of every size. Our software developers and web developers build custom software, web applications, APIs, and open-source devops integrations — and maintain them long-term.
Audit Your GitHub & GitLab Security Posture
Download Legitify and run your first policy scan in minutes. Identify misconfigurations, enforce supply-chain security baselines, and integrate into your CI/CD pipeline at no cost.