Delta vs Trivy
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted developer tools & git options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Not the right match-up?
Delta
Syntax-highlighting pager for git and diff output
VS
Trivy
Comprehensive security scanner for containers and code
| Feature | Delta | Trivy |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Developer Tools & Git | Developer Tools & Git |
| License | MIT | Apache-2.0 |
| Language | Rust | Go |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 64 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | binary, source | docker, binary, kubernetes |
| GitHub stars | ★ 31,681 | ★ 37,298 |
| First released | 2019 | 2019 |
| Replaces | diff-so-fancy | Snyk, Aqua |
Why pick each one
Choose Delta if…
- Released under the MIT license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- Mature project with 31.7k GitHub stars
- Written in Rust
Choose Trivy if…
- Released under the Apache-2.0 license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Kubernetes-ready with Helm charts available
Frequently asked questions
Is Delta or Trivy better?
Neither is universally better. Trivy has the larger community; both share a easy setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Delta and Trivy free and open-source?
Yes. Delta is licensed under MIT and Trivy under Apache-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Delta and Trivy with Docker?
Delta: check the project docs for container support. Trivy: yes.