DevSecOps for Solo Developers: A No-Nonsense Guide

You Are the Security Team

If you're a solo developer, security is your job. The good news: you don't need enterprise tools.

The Solo DevSecOps Workflow

1. Pre-Commit: Secrets Detection

Install a pre-commit hook that blocks commits containing API keys or passwords. Tools: gitleaks, trufflehog.

2. Dependencies: Automated Auditing

Run npm audit in your CI pipeline. Block deployments with critical vulnerabilities.

3. Code: Static Analysis

Add a SAST scanner to your pipeline. It catches SQL injection and XSS automatically.

4. Deploy: Environment Separation

Never use production credentials in development. Use .env files.

5. Monitor: Error Tracking

Set up Sentry or equivalent. Security issues often manifest as unusual errors first.

Minimum Viable Security Checklist

• HTTPS everywhere
• Authentication on all protected routes
• Input validation on all user input
• Parameterised database queries
• Dependencies updated monthly
• Secrets in environment variables only
• CORS configured per-domain
• Rate limiting on auth endpoints
• Security headers configured
• Regular automated scans

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