Introduction

SQL Injection (SQLi) remains one of the most impactful web application vulnerabilities even in 2026. While WAFs, ORMs and secure coding frameworks have improved, real-world applications still expose injection points through legacy code, misconfigured APIs and complex backend logic. To handle modern targets and strong defenses, security researchers use some automated tools like SQLmap and Ghauri. Both aim to automate the full SQLi workflow, from detection to exploitation. but their internal design, performance and evasion strategies differ significantly.

In this article, I’ll show how to use both tools in practice, covering advanced enumeration, WAF bypass techniques and automation workflows for modern penetration testing.

📝 Note: Before you continue, it’s recommended to read the previous article where I covered the best ways to find SQL injection, both manually and with automation. This will help you understand the full process and follow this article more easily.