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Open-Source Security · DefectDojo

django-DefectDojo

DefectDojo is an open-source DevSecOps platform for vulnerability management, risk assessment, and security orchestration. It aggregates findings from multiple security tools, deduplicates results, and tracks remediation across development pipelines.

Source: GitHub — github.com/DefectDojo/django-DefectDojo
4.8k
GitHub stars
1.9k
Forks
HTML
Primary language
BSD-3-Clause
License (OSI-approved)

Key facts

Objective fields from the source. Values we can't verify are shown as “Unknown” rather than guessed.

FieldValue
RepositoryDefectDojo/django-DefectDojo
OwnerDefectDojo
Primary languageHTML
LicenseBSD-3-Clause — OSI-approved
Stars4.8k
Forks1.9k
Open issues240
Latest release3.1.0 (2026-07-06)
Last updated2026-07-08
Sourcehttps://github.com/DefectDojo/django-DefectDojo

What django-DefectDojo is

Django-based web application providing REST APIs, parsers for 100+ security tools, vulnerability correlation, and reporting. Supports Docker Compose and Kubernetes deployments with OAuth2/SAML2/LDAP authentication and tool integrations.

Quickstart

Get the django-DefectDojo source

Clone the repository and explore it locally.

terminalbash
git clone https://github.com/DefectDojo/django-DefectDojo.gitcd django-DefectDojo# follow the project's README for install & configuration

Need it deployed, integrated, or customized instead? DEV.co ships production installs.

Best use cases

Centralized Vulnerability Triage & Deduplication

Aggregate findings from SAST, DAST, container scanning, and dependency checkers into a single source of truth, reducing alert fatigue through automated deduplication and correlation.

DevSecOps Pipeline Integration

Orchestrate security testing in CI/CD workflows via REST API, client libraries, and supported tool parsers to enforce vulnerability gates and track remediation metrics.

Risk-Based Remediation Planning

Prioritize vulnerabilities by severity, attack surface, and business context; generate reports for stakeholders and track closure via workflow automation.

Implementation considerations

  • Docker Compose quick-start available; initialization takes up to 3 minutes. First admin credentials generated in logs automatically.
  • Database schema and migrations managed by Django ORM; requires PostgreSQL/MySQL. No embedded SQLite option for production.
  • Parser library covers 100+ tools, but verify specific tool versions and output formats are compatible before integration.
  • API v2 documented; also supports OAuth2/SAML2 and LDAP. Plan for authentication system integration early.
  • Backup and disaster recovery strategy needed for production deployments; state is entirely persistent.

When to avoid it — and what to weigh

  • Lightweight, Stateless Deployment Required — DefectDojo is stateful, database-backed, and requires persistent infrastructure. Unsuitable for ephemeral, serverless, or minimal-footprint security scanning.
  • No Database Administration Capacity — Requires PostgreSQL or MySQL setup, backup, and maintenance. Self-hosted deployments demand operational overhead for database tuning and scaling.
  • Needs Out-of-Box Enterprise ITSM Integration — Community edition lacks native ServiceNow, GitHub, GitLab, Azure DevOps connectors and automatic data enrichment. These are Pro edition features.
  • High-Frequency API Usage at Scale — Community edition scalability for concurrent API requests and large dataset ingestion is not clearly documented; Pro edition required for enterprise SLAs.

License & commercial use

BSD 3-Clause (BSD-3-Clause). Permissive OSI license allowing redistribution, modification, and commercial use under attribution and liability disclaimer.

BSD-3-Clause permits commercial use. However, community edition lacks enterprise connectors (ServiceNow, GitHub, Azure DevOps, data enrichment). Pro edition available as SaaS or self-hosted requires commercial negotiation. Recommend clarifying support terms and SLA coverage for production deployments.

DEV.co evaluation signals

Editorial assessment — not user reviews. Directional, with an explicit confidence level.

SignalAssessment
MaintenanceActive
DocumentationStrong
License clarityClear
Deployment complexityModerate
DEV.co fitStrong
Assessment confidenceHigh
Security considerations

CII Best Practices badge displayed. Community edition lacks formal security audit claims; Pro edition may include additional hardening. Shared demo environment resets daily; credential and API key rotation, RBAC, and audit logging should be verified for production. No CVE history or vulnerability disclosure policy visible in provided data.

Alternatives to consider

Snyk

SaaS-first, developer-centric dependency and container scanning with automatic fixes. Less flexibility for on-premise deployments; stronger enterprise integrations (GitHub, GitLab, Jira).

Aqua Security

Container and artifact scanning platform with runtime enforcement. More specialized for containerized workloads; less emphasis on centralized vulnerability triage across tool types.

Tenable.io

Enterprise-grade vulnerability management with extensive tool integrations, risk scoring, and SaaS infrastructure. Higher cost and vendor lock-in vs. open-source self-hosting.

Software development agency

Build on django-DefectDojo with DEV.co software developers

Evaluate DefectDojo's community edition via Docker Compose (< 5 min setup), explore parser support for your tools, and assess database/Kubernetes operational readiness. Contact the team for Pro edition features and enterprise support options.

Talk to DEV.co

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django-DefectDojo FAQ

Is DefectDojo free for commercial use?
Community edition is BSD-3-Clause licensed (permissive) and free. Enterprise features (ITSM connectors, data enrichment, API scalability) require Pro edition. Contact sales for pricing and support terms.
What database does DefectDojo require?
PostgreSQL or MySQL. SQLite not recommended for production. Database setup and backups are operator responsibility.
Can I run DefectDojo in Kubernetes?
Yes. Docker images and Kubernetes deployment guidance available in docs. No official Helm chart mentioned; community contributions may exist.
How does DefectDojo handle tool integrations?
Built-in parsers for 100+ SAST, DAST, container, and dependency scanning tools. Uploads scan files or API-based ingestion. Custom parsers require Python development.

Custom software development services

DEV.co helps companies turn open-source tools like django-DefectDojo into production software. Our software development services cover the full lifecycle — architecture, web development, integration, and maintenance — delivered by software developers and web developers who ship. Engage our software development agency to implement or customize it for your open-source security stack.

Ready to Centralize Your Vulnerability Management?

Evaluate DefectDojo's community edition via Docker Compose (< 5 min setup), explore parser support for your tools, and assess database/Kubernetes operational readiness. Contact the team for Pro edition features and enterprise support options.