Snyk Open Source

Snyk Open Source is the industry-leading Software Composition Analysis (SCA) platform trusted by over 2 million developers.

The tool automatically finds, prioritizes, and fixes vulnerabilities in open-source dependencies, combining a comprehensive vulnerability database with developer-friendly workflows including automated fix pull requests.

What is Snyk Open Source?

Snyk Open Source scans your project’s dependency manifests and lock files to identify known vulnerabilities in the packages your application depends on.

Unlike basic SCA tools that simply match package versions against vulnerability databases, Snyk provides actionable intelligence by analyzing dependency graphs, assessing exploitability, and automating remediation through fix pull requests.

The platform supports all major package managers and programming languages, integrating directly into developer workflows through IDE plugins, CLI tools, and CI/CD pipelines.

Snyk maintains one of the most comprehensive and timely vulnerability databases in the industry, with a dedicated security research team discovering and documenting new vulnerabilities.

Key Features

Automated Fix Pull Requests

Snyk’s signature capability is automatic fix pull request generation.

When the platform identifies a vulnerable dependency with an available fix, it can automatically create a pull request that upgrades to a patched version.

These PRs include detailed information about the vulnerability, the fix, and any potential breaking changes.

# Snyk can automatically open fix PRs for vulnerabilities like:
# lodash 4.17.20 -> 4.17.21 (fixes CVE-2021-23337 Prototype Pollution)

Transitive Dependency Analysis

Open-source projects often have deep dependency trees where your direct dependencies pull in dozens of transitive dependencies.

Snyk maps the complete dependency graph, identifying vulnerabilities in packages you may not even know your application uses.

The platform shows exactly how each vulnerable package enters your dependency tree.

License Compliance

Beyond security vulnerabilities, Snyk Open Source tracks the licenses of all dependencies in your projects.

The platform can enforce license policies, alerting teams when dependencies use licenses that conflict with organizational requirements.

This capability helps legal and compliance teams manage open-source risk.

Reachability Analysis

Not every vulnerability in your dependency tree poses equal risk.

Snyk’s reachability analysis determines whether vulnerable code paths are actually invoked by your application.

This intelligence helps teams prioritize remediation efforts on vulnerabilities that present genuine risk rather than theoretical exposure.

Installation and Usage

CLI Installation

# Install via npm
npm install -g snyk

# Install via Homebrew (macOS)
brew tap snyk/tap
brew install snyk

# Install via Scoop (Windows)
scoop bucket add snyk https://github.com/snyk/scoop-snyk
scoop install snyk

Basic Usage

# Authenticate with Snyk
snyk auth

# Test for vulnerabilities
snyk test

# Monitor project and get alerts
snyk monitor

# Generate SBOM in SPDX format
snyk sbom --format=spdx2.3+json > sbom.json

# Generate SBOM in CycloneDX format
snyk sbom --format=cyclonedx1.4+json > sbom.json

Testing Specific Package Managers

# Test npm project
snyk test --file=package.json

# Test Python project
snyk test --file=requirements.txt

# Test Maven project
snyk test --file=pom.xml

# Test Gradle project
snyk test --file=build.gradle

# Test Go modules
snyk test --file=go.mod

# Test .NET project
snyk test --file=packages.config

Severity Filtering

# Only fail on high or critical vulnerabilities
snyk test --severity-threshold=high

# Output results in JSON format
snyk test --json > snyk-results.json

# Output results in SARIF format
snyk test --sarif > snyk-results.sarif

CI/CD Integration

GitHub Actions

name: Snyk Open Source Security
on:
  push:
    branches: [main]
  pull_request:
    branches: [main]
  schedule:
    - cron: '0 0 * * *'  # Daily scan

jobs:
  snyk-scan:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
      - uses: actions/checkout@v4

      - name: Run Snyk to check for vulnerabilities
        uses: snyk/actions/node@master
        env:
          SNYK_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.SNYK_TOKEN }}
        with:
          args: --severity-threshold=high

      - name: Upload SARIF file
        uses: github/codeql-action/upload-sarif@v3
        if: always()
        with:
          sarif_file: snyk.sarif

GitLab CI

snyk-sca:
  stage: security
  image: snyk/snyk:node
  variables:
    SNYK_TOKEN: $SNYK_TOKEN
  before_script:
    - npm install
  script:
    - snyk test --json > gl-dependency-scanning-report.json || true
    - snyk monitor
  artifacts:
    reports:
      dependency_scanning: gl-dependency-scanning-report.json
  rules:
    - if: $CI_PIPELINE_SOURCE == "merge_request_event"
    - if: $CI_COMMIT_BRANCH == $CI_DEFAULT_BRANCH

Azure DevOps Pipeline

trigger:
  - main

pool:
  vmImage: 'ubuntu-latest'

steps:
  - task: NodeTool@0
    inputs:
      versionSpec: '18.x'

  - script: npm install -g snyk
    displayName: 'Install Snyk CLI'

  - script: snyk auth $(SNYK_TOKEN)
    displayName: 'Authenticate Snyk'

  - script: |
      npm install
      snyk test --severity-threshold=high
    displayName: 'Run Snyk Security Scan'

  - script: snyk monitor
    displayName: 'Monitor for new vulnerabilities'

IDE Integration

Snyk Open Source integrates with popular development environments:

VS Code:

• Real-time scanning of package files
• Inline vulnerability information
• Quick fix suggestions

JetBrains IDEs (IntelliJ, PyCharm, WebStorm):

• Dependency scanning on file changes
• Vulnerability details in editor
• Integration with Snyk web dashboard

Eclipse:

• Plugin available for Java projects
• Maven and Gradle support

When to Use Snyk Open Source

Snyk Open Source is particularly well-suited for:

• Developer-centric teams: Organizations that want security integrated into developer workflows rather than as a separate process
• Fast iteration cycles: Teams releasing frequently that need rapid vulnerability feedback
• Multi-language environments: Organizations using diverse tech stacks benefit from Snyk’s broad language support
• Compliance requirements: Companies needing SBOM generation and license compliance tracking
• Existing Snyk users: Teams already using Snyk Code or Container benefit from unified dashboards

Consider alternatives if you need:

• Air-gapped environments: Snyk is primarily cloud-based, though enterprise options exist
• On-premises deployment: Self-hosted options are available but require enterprise agreements
• Specific compliance certifications: Verify Snyk meets your industry requirements

Supported Package Managers

Snyk Open Source supports vulnerability scanning for:

Platform Integration

Snyk Open Source is part of the Snyk Developer Security Platform, integrating with:

• Snyk Code: Static application security testing (SAST)
• Snyk Container: Container image vulnerability scanning
• Snyk IaC: Infrastructure as Code security
• Snyk Cloud: Cloud security posture management

This unified platform provides consolidated visibility across all application security domains, enabling security and development teams to manage risk from a single interface.