6 Best RASP Tools (2026)
Every RASP tool reviewed. Runtime self-protection that blocks SQL injection, XSS, and zero-days from inside the application. Open-source and commercial.
- I reviewed 6 active RASP tools — 1 open-source (OpenRASP by Baidu) and 5 commercial (Contrast Protect, Datadog ASM, Dynatrace, Imperva RASP, Waratek). OpenRASP is the only free option.
- The RASP market reached $2.02B in 2025, projected to grow to $7.17B by 2030 at 28.82% CAGR (Mordor Intelligence). RASP adds 2-10% latency but produces far fewer false positives than WAFs.
- Significant consolidation reshaped the market: Sqreen acquired by Datadog (2021), Signal Sciences by Fastly (2020), K2 Cyber Security by New Relic (2022), and Hdiv Security by Datadog (2022).
- RASP differs from WAFs fundamentally — WAFs inspect HTTP traffic patterns externally, while RASP runs inside the application and sees actual code execution, making more accurate blocking decisions.
- Java and .NET have the best RASP agent coverage. Go and Rust have almost no RASP options. Always start in monitor mode before enabling blocking in production.
What is RASP?
RASP (Runtime Application Self-Protection) is a security technology that embeds a lightweight agent directly inside an application to detect and block attacks in real time during code execution. Unlike perimeter-based defenses such as WAFs that inspect HTTP traffic externally, a RASP agent hooks into the application runtime itself, watches how each request gets processed, and can stop an attack mid-execution before it causes damage.
RASP does not find vulnerabilities for you to fix later. It blocks attacks as they happen — functioning as a last line of defense when static analysis, code reviews, and perimeter controls all miss something.
The RASP market reached $2.02 billion in 2025 and is projected to grow to $7.17 billion by 2030 at a 28.82% CAGR, according to Mordor Intelligence (2025).
That growth reflects increasing adoption as organizations realize that external-only defenses leave gaps that attackers routinely exploit.
If you’re evaluating RASP, start in monitor mode and only flip to blocking once you trust the tool’s decisions. Java and .NET have the broadest agent coverage across vendors.
Go has limited but growing support from Contrast, Datadog, and Dynatrace. Rust has almost no RASP options, because compiled languages make the runtime instrumentation that RASP depends on significantly harder to implement.
Quick Comparison of RASP Tools
| Tool | USP | License |
|---|---|---|
| Free / Open Source | ||
| OpenRASP | Open-source RASP by Baidu; inactive since Jan 2022 | Open Source |
| Commercial | ||
| Contrast Protect | Now Contrast ADR; 6-language coverage | Commercial |
| Datadog ASM | RASP engine from Sqreen, APM integration | Commercial |
| Dynatrace | RASP module in Dynatrace platform | Commercial |
| Imperva RASP | Combines well with Imperva WAF; now under Thales (acquired Dec 2023) | Commercial |
| Waratek | JVM-embedded, virtual patching | Commercial |
| Acquired | ||
| Signal Sciences | Acquired by Fastly → Next-Gen WAF | Commercial |
| K2 Cyber Security | Acquired by New Relic (2022) | Commercial |
| Hdiv Protection | Acquired by Datadog (2022); integrated into Datadog ASM | Commercial |
How Do You Choose the Right RASP Tool?
The most important factor when choosing a RASP tool is language support — if the agent does not support your application’s runtime, nothing else matters.
After the acquisition wave that reshaped this market (Sqreen, K2, Hdiv, and Signal Sciences all got bought between 2020 and 2022), you’re left with roughly six active tools.
That makes the decision simpler, but the tradeoffs around performance overhead, stack integration, and deployment mode still matter.
Language Support
This is the first filter. Java and .NET have broad coverage from most vendors. Node.js and Python are supported by Contrast Protect and Datadog ASM. Go has a few options (Contrast, Datadog, Dynatrace) but they're less mature. Rust? Basically nothing.
Performance Overhead
Run benchmarks in your own environment. The range is wide: some tools add 2% latency, others hit 10%. If you're running latency-sensitive services, that gap matters a lot. Waratek claims minimal overhead thanks to its virtualization-based approach.
Existing Security Stack
Already using Contrast for SAST/IAST? Contrast Protect is the obvious pick. Running Imperva WAF? Their RASP plugs right in. On Datadog for APM? The RASP module is already baked into their agent.
Open-source vs Commercial
OpenRASP is free and Baidu ran it at scale, but the project has been dead since January 2022. If you need active maintenance, vendor support, and a proper dashboard, you're looking at a commercial tool.
Block vs Monitor Mode
I cannot stress this enough: start in monitor mode. Watch what the tool flags for a few weeks. Only flip to blocking once you're confident it won't kill legitimate requests. Every major RASP tool supports this two-stage rollout.
Contrast Protect
Application Detection and Response (ADR) Beyond RASP
Datadog Application Security
APM-Integrated Runtime Protection
Dynatrace
Full-Stack Observability with Built-in Security
Imperva RASP
Combines with Imperva WAF
ModSecurity
Open-Source WAF Engine
Waratek
Java Runtime Protection & Virtual Patching
Show 4 deprecated/acquired tools
Frequently Asked Questions
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AppSec Enthusiast
10+ years in application security. Reviews and compares 168 AppSec tools across 11 categories to help teams pick the right solution. More about me →