Black Duck vs SonarQube: What are the differences?

Black Duck and SonarQube are both software development tools that assist in ensuring code quality and identifying potential vulnerabilities. However, there are several key differences between these two tools.

1. Code Analysis: Black Duck primarily focuses on open source code analysis to identify potential security risks and license compliance issues. It scans the codebase for known vulnerabilities and provides remediation guidance. On the other hand, SonarQube is a comprehensive code quality management platform that analyzes code for bugs, security vulnerabilities, code smells, and code duplication.

2. Integration: Black Duck integrates with various development tools like IDEs, build systems, and CI/CD platforms to provide continuous monitoring and analysis of code. It can be seamlessly integrated into the development workflow, ensuring code quality throughout the development lifecycle. SonarQube also offers integrations with popular development tools and provides plugins for IDEs, enabling developers to analyze code within their preferred environment.

3. Extensibility: SonarQube provides a wide range of plugins that extend its functionality, allowing developers to perform additional types of analysis on their code. These plugins cover areas such as security, code coverage, complexity, and more. In contrast, Black Duck does not offer extensibility in terms of additional plugins or modules.

4. Coverage: SonarQube offers a broader range of code analysis capabilities compared to Black Duck. It covers a wide spectrum of programming languages and provides detailed reports and metrics for each language. Black Duck, on the other hand, has a narrower focus on open source code analysis and may not offer the same level of coverage for other types of code.

5. Remediation Guidance: One of the key features of Black Duck is its ability to provide detailed remediation guidance for identified vulnerabilities. It offers recommendations on how to fix vulnerabilities and reduce security risks. SonarQube, while providing some guidance on code quality issues, does not offer the same level of guidance for security vulnerabilities.

6. Cost: Another significant difference between Black Duck and SonarQube is the pricing model. Black Duck is a commercial product and requires a license for usage, while SonarQube is open source and has a community edition that is free to use. The availability of a free version makes SonarQube a more cost-effective option for smaller development teams or open source projects.

In summary, Black Duck specializes in open source code analysis and offers extensive vulnerability scanning and remediation guidance. SonarQube, on the other hand, is a comprehensive code quality management platform with a broader range of analysis capabilities, extensibility through plugins, and a free community edition.