Difference Between Aikido Cloud Scanning and IDE Scanning

Aikido offers security scanning in two places: inside the developer’s editor and in the cloud platform. Both scan code and dependencies, but with different depth and context.

Cloud Scans

• Run SAST, SCA and IaC checks across full repositories and connected cloud environments.

• Analyse complete codebases, dependency graphs and configuration files rather than only what is open in the editor.

• Provide richer context, for example reachability, deployment paths, and whether an issue affects production.

• Use advanced auto triage to cut down false positives and highlight real risk.

• Suitable for full-scope audits, CI pipelines and organisation-wide posture.

IDE Scans

• Run SAST and SCA directly in the editor for fast feedback while coding.

• Limited to the current project and the files or manifests present in the workspace.

• Shallower analysis because it needs to be fast and local.

• Less context about how the code is built or deployed, so more findings require manual validation.

• Helpful for preventing issues before commit, but not a replacement for full cloud-based scanning.