What Is OWASP ZAP?
A free, open-source DAST (Dynamic Application Security Testing) tool maintained by the OWASP Foundation. ZAP acts as a proxy between the browser and web application, crawling pages, sending attack payloads, and analyzing responses to find runtime security vulnerabilities like XSS, SQL injection, and misconfigurations.
Security Risks
ZAP is a testing tool with usage considerations:
- Scan noise: Automated scans generate false positives that require triage
- Coverage gaps: Cannot test authenticated endpoints without configuration
- Performance impact: Active scans can slow down or crash applications
- API limitations: Requires manual configuration for API-only applications
- SPA challenges: JavaScript-heavy apps may not be fully crawled
- Learning curve: Effective use requires understanding of web security concepts
Security Checklist
- Run ZAP against a staging environment (never production without approval)
- Configure authentication for testing protected endpoints
- Import API specs (OpenAPI/Swagger) for comprehensive API testing
- Start with a passive scan to identify quick wins
- Run an active scan for deeper vulnerability detection
- Review results focusing on high-confidence findings first
- Test CORS configuration and security headers
- Check for information disclosure in error responses
- Verify rate limiting on sensitive endpoints
- Re-scan after fixing issues to confirm remediation
Frequently Asked Questions
Is OWASP ZAP really free?
Yes, completely free and open-source. ZAP is maintained by the OWASP Foundation and has no paid tiers, premium features, or usage limits. It is one of the most widely used security testing tools in the world and is actively maintained with regular updates.
Can ZAP test my vibe-coded app?
Yes. Point ZAP at your staging URL and run a scan. For SPAs (React, Vue), use ZAP’s AJAX Spider for better JavaScript rendering. For APIs, import your OpenAPI spec. For authenticated areas, configure ZAP with session tokens. ZAP finds runtime issues that SAST tools miss.
How does ZAP compare to Burp Suite?
ZAP is free and open-source; Burp Suite Community is free but limited, Professional costs $449/year. Burp Suite has a more polished UI and better manual testing tools. ZAP excels at automated CI/CD scanning and has a strong community. For most vibe-coded projects, ZAP provides sufficient coverage.