SHSelfHostIndex

OSV-Scanner 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?
OS OSV-Scanner Vulnerability scanner backed by the OSV database VS SY Syft Generate software bills of materials from images and code
FeatureOSV-ScannerSyft
Deploy effortUnder-an-hour setupUnder-an-hour setup
Health score93 · Excellent93 · Excellent
CategoryDeveloper Tools & GitDeveloper Tools & Git
LicenseApache-2.0Apache-2.0
LanguageGoGo
Setup difficultyEasyEasy
Min. RAM256 MB256 MB
Deploymentbinary, dockerbinary, docker
GitHub stars★ 11,080★ 9,604
First released20222020
ReplacesSnyk, Dependabot alertsSnyk

What are OSV-Scanner and Syft?

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

Syft

Syft is an open-source tool from Anchore that generates a software bill of materials (SBOM) from container images and filesystems. It supports many SBOM formats for self-hosted supply chain workflows.

  • SBOM generation
  • SPDX and CycloneDX output
  • Wide ecosystem support
  • Pairs with Grype

OSV-Scanner vs Syft: key differences

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

Why pick each one

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

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 9.6k GitHub stars
Syft details

Frequently asked questions

Is OSV-Scanner or Syft better?

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

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

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

Can I run OSV-Scanner and Syft with Docker?

OSV-Scanner: yes. Syft: yes.

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