🧠 What is RASP?
RASP (Runtime Application Self-Protection) is a security technology that runs inside your application to detect and block attacks in real time, during execution — not just at the perimeter.
It differs from WAF (Web Application Firewall) in that RASP has code-level context of what’s happening inside the app (e.g., database calls, file access, system calls).
RASP can:
- Block injection attacks (SQLi, XSS)
- Prevent data exfiltration
- Detect zero-day exploits
- Provide runtime telemetry
🔐 Top RASP Tools in 2025
1. Contrast Security
- Type: Commercial
- Intro: One of the most mature RASP platforms on the market. Deep integration into application runtime.
- Key Features:
- Protects Java, .NET, Node.js
- Real-time exploit prevention
- SAST + IAST + RASP unified
- Compliance and reporting support
- Ideal For: Enterprises needing inline runtime protection + full SDLC integration.
2. Imperva RASP
- Type: Commercial
- Intro: RASP engine from Imperva’s application security suite, focused on blocking threats at runtime.
- Key Features:
- Pre-built protection policies
- Blocks zero-days without code changes
- Minimal performance overhead
- Ideal For: Web apps needing non-invasive protection without code refactoring.
3. Sqreen (Now part of Datadog Application Security Monitoring)
- Type: Commercial (Cloud-native)
- Intro: Originally a standalone RASP tool, now integrated into Datadog ASM.
- Key Features:
- In-app attack detection (SQLi, SSRF, etc.)
- Blocks malicious user sessions
- Unified observability + security
- Ideal For: Datadog users wanting security built into observability.
4. Signal Sciences (Fastly)
- Type: Commercial (RASP-lite + WAF Hybrid)
- Intro: Not strictly RASP but behaves similarly using embedded agents and request context.
- Key Features:
- Smart detection with low false positives
- Protects APIs and microservices
- Unified with CDN/WAF platform
- Ideal For: DevOps teams wanting RASP-like protection without deep code injection.
5. JVM-based OSS Alternatives (Basic RASP)
(Experimental/limited use)
| Tool | Description |
|---|---|
| AppSensor (OWASP) | Open-source project that embeds application-layer intrusion detection logic (early-stage, inactive). |
| TCell (acquired by Rapid7) | Commercial product with RASP-like telemetry, now part of Insight platform. Not standalone anymore. |
📊 RASP Tools Comparison Table (2025)
| Tool | Type | Languages Supported | Strengths | Ideal Use Case |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Contrast Security | Commercial | Java, .NET, Node.js | Real-time protection, unified SAST/IAST/RASP | Full-stack enterprise security |
| Imperva RASP | Commercial | Java, .NET, Python | Zero-day blocking, no code changes | Enterprise RASP without code rewrite |
| Datadog (ex-Sqreen) | Commercial | Node.js, Python, Ruby, more | Application monitoring + RASP combined | DevOps teams using Datadog |
| Signal Sciences (Fastly) | Commercial | Multiple via agent | Agent-based RASP+WAF hybrid | Microservices, hybrid workloads |
| OWASP AppSensor | Open Source | Java (manual integration) | Custom rules, learning resource | Labs, academic use, POCs |
🧠 RASP vs Alternatives
| Tool Type | When to Use |
|---|---|
| ✅ RASP | You want in-app protection with full runtime context |
| 🔁 WAF | You need network-layer protection and broad coverage |
| 🔎 EDR/XDR | For system-level attack detection, not app-layer |
| 🔧 AppSec CI/CD (SAST/DAST) | For pre-deploy security testing, not runtime |
✅ Final Recommendations (2025)
| Use Case | Recommended Tool |
|---|---|
| Full enterprise-grade RASP | ✅ Contrast Security |
| RASP built into observability (DevOps) | ✅ Datadog (Sqreen) |
| CDN-integrated protection | ✅ Signal Sciences (Fastly) |
| Compliance-focused app protection | ✅ Imperva RASP |
| Learning or OSS exploration | 🔄 OWASP AppSensor |