Writing effective code is one step toward delivering a great application, but what happens after you finish writing the code? The next step is to determine whether the code is accurate and clean, and this is where Static Code Analysis can be helpful.
This article will discuss what static code analysis tools are and some of their benefits, we’ll explore the different types of static code analysis tools that can be found online, and share some suggestions for things to consider when selecting a code analysis tool.
What is Static Code Analysis?
Static Code Analysis is a method of debugging used by developers to examine or inspect code without executing or running the program.
Debugging is an essential part of software development, and human error is the most common cause of bugs. This can be due to negligence, tiredness, lack of experience, miscommunication among team members, project requirements, third-party tools with bugs, and, limited testing time.
Many of these bugs are missed regardless of how good a developer is. Humans are prone to errors, so there will always be bugs as long as humans write the code.
Static code analysis identifies vulnerabilities and loopholes in source code that could make it vulnerable. These tools are used when inspecting or carrying out the quality assurance process in the codebase. They are used at the beginning of the development process before the actual testing of the program or software begins. The analysis detects error-prone code, making it easier to find and fix the bugs.
Many static analyzers work well with languages that lack strict type rules, such as the C language.
Static analyzers follow three basic steps:
1. Analyzers scan source code.
2. Analyzers perform automated analysis of the code.
3. Analyzers report faults or irregularities.
Static code analyzers check for errors like data errors, control errors, input and output errors, storage management errors, information flow analysis, path analysis, and interface errors.
The Benefits Of Static Code Analysis
These are some of the benefits of using a static code analyzer for your project:
It identifies software quality issues and detects bugs at the early stage of development.
It helps save time and money, as there’s no additional effort expended into making bug fixes after the code is released to production.
It improves the overall quality of the code as you ship high-quality code.
It helps speed up development, as the process is automated. Developers spend a lot of time doing manual code reviews but with automated code analyzers, you can quickly scan the code to detect issues faster.
What to Consider when Choosing a Code Analysis Tool
There are certain things you should keep in mind when choosing an analysis tool:
Scripting / Programming Language
Coding Standard
Integration
Scripting / Programming Language
It is vital to choose a tool that supports your language because these tools are developed for different languages.
Coding Standard
This concerns developers and programmers in a regulated industry that require coding standards. It's essential to be sure that whatever tool you decide to use supports the coding standards incorporated by the team.
Integration
The integration of static analysis should be smooth and easy.













