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Grype vs OSV-Scanner

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?
GR Grype Vulnerability scanner for container images and filesystems VS OS OSV-Scanner Vulnerability scanner backed by the OSV database
FeatureGrypeOSV-Scanner
Deploy effortUnder-an-hour setupUnder-an-hour setup
Health score94 · Excellent93 · Excellent
CategoryDeveloper Tools & GitDeveloper Tools & Git
LicenseApache-2.0Apache-2.0
LanguageGoGo
Setup difficultyEasyEasy
Min. RAM256 MB256 MB
Deploymentbinary, dockerbinary, docker
GitHub stars★ 12,921★ 11,080
First released20202022
ReplacesSnyk, TrivySnyk, Dependabot alerts

What are Grype and OSV-Scanner?

Grype

Grype is an open-source vulnerability scanner from Anchore for container images and filesystems. It integrates with self-hosted CI to detect known vulnerabilities in software dependencies.

  • Image and filesystem scanning
  • Multiple vulnerability databases
  • SBOM support
  • CI integration

OSV-Scanner

OSV-Scanner is an open-source tool from Google that scans project dependencies for known vulnerabilities using the Open Source Vulnerabilities database. It runs locally and in self-hosted CI pipelines.

  • OSV database backed
  • Lockfile scanning
  • SBOM input support
  • CI friendly

Grype vs OSV-Scanner: key differences

Both projects are written in Go. Grype is the more established project (first released 2020), while OSV-Scanner arrived in 2022.

Why pick each one

Choose Grype if…

  • Released under the Apache-2.0 license
  • Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
  • First-class Docker support for quick deployment
  • Mature project with 12.9k GitHub stars
Grype details

Choose OSV-Scanner if…

  • Released under the Apache-2.0 license
  • Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
  • First-class Docker support for quick deployment
  • Mature project with 11.1k GitHub stars
OSV-Scanner details

Frequently asked questions

Is Grype or OSV-Scanner better?

Neither is universally better. Grype has the larger community; both share a easy setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.

Are Grype and OSV-Scanner free and open-source?

Yes. Grype is licensed under Apache-2.0 and OSV-Scanner under Apache-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.

Can I run Grype and OSV-Scanner with Docker?

Grype: yes. OSV-Scanner: yes.

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