120 Domain-Specific Languages for Security
Journal article, 2026
Security engineering—from creating security requirements to the implementation of security features, such as cryptography or authentification—is often supported by domain-specific languages (DSLs). While many security DSLs have been presented, a lack of overview and empirical data about these DSLs, such as which security aspects are addressed and when, hinders their effective use and further research. This systematic literature review examines 120 security DSLs regarding their security aspects and goals addressed, their language-specific characteristics, their integration into the software development lifecycle, and their evaluation. We observe a focus on individual development phases and a high degree of fragmentation, which leads to opportunities for integration. The research community also needs to improve the usability and evaluation of security DSLs.
Domain specific languages
security
survey
Author
Markus Krausz
TÜV Informationstechnik GmbH
Ruhr-Universität Bochum
Sven Matthias Peldszus
Chalmers, Computer Science and Engineering (Chalmers), Interaction Design and Software Engineering
Ruhr-Universität Bochum
Thorsten Berger
Ruhr-Universität Bochum
Chalmers, Computer Science and Engineering (Chalmers), Interaction Design and Software Engineering
Francesco Regazzoni
University of Amsterdam
Universita della Svizzera italiana
Tim Güneysu
Ruhr-Universität Bochum
ACM Computing Surveys
0360-0300 (ISSN) 15577341 (eISSN)
Vol. 58 11 11Subject Categories (SSIF 2025)
Software Engineering
Computer Sciences
Computer Systems
DOI
10.1145/3802817