Grype vs Syft
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?
Grype
Vulnerability scanner for container images and filesystems
VS
Syft
Generate software bills of materials from images and code
| Feature | Grype | Syft |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Developer Tools & Git | Developer Tools & Git |
| License | Apache-2.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Language | Go | Go |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | binary, docker | binary, docker |
| GitHub stars | ★ 12,693 | ★ 9,367 |
| First released | 2020 | 2020 |
| Replaces | Snyk, Trivy | Snyk |
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 12.7k GitHub stars
Choose Syft if…
- Released under the Apache-2.0 license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Mature project with 9.4k GitHub stars
Frequently asked questions
Is Grype or Syft 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 Syft free and open-source?
Yes. Grype is licensed under Apache-2.0 and Syft under Apache-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Grype and Syft with Docker?
Grype: yes. Syft: yes.