DevSecOps for startups: the non-negotiable baseline
Security at startups is usually postponed until the first incident. The list below is what we apply on day one at Smart Lead Tech in every project — small or large — and it costs the team almost no time.1. Secret hygiene…
Security at startups is usually postponed until the first incident. The list below is what we apply on day one at Smart Lead Tech in every project — small or large — and it costs the team almost no time.
1. Secret hygiene
- No secrets in the repo. Ever. We use Doppler/1Password + pre-push git hooks.
- Rotate shared keys at least every 90 days.
- Run
gitleakson every PR in CI.
2. SCA (trusted dependencies)
Every repo has dependabot + npm audit / composer audit in CI. Critical alerts auto-open issues rather than waiting for a developer.
3. SAST + Lint
- PHP: PHPStan level 6 + Pint.
- TypeScript: ESLint security plugin + tsc --noEmit.
- Docker: hadolint + trivy image scan.
4. OWASP ASVS — Level 2 as the floor
ASVS Level 2 is not "for big companies" — it is the pragmatic floor for any product touching real user data. Block one day each quarter for a review.
We focus on: authn/authz, encryption in transit & at rest, audit logs, and strict rate limits on every API.
5. Runtime
- Security headers via middleware (Next.js + Laravel).
- Per-request CSP with a nonce.
- A small WAF (Cloudflare) locks out bots from day one.
6. DR + backups
Daily encrypted backups + a monthly restore drill. A project that has never tested a restore does not have backups — it has an illusion.
Takeaway
DevSecOps is not a separate budget; it is a habit layer. Adopt it on day one and you will pay a tiny premium to avoid incident bills that can end the whole company.
