SHSelfHostIndex

OSV-Scanner 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?
OS OSV-Scanner Vulnerability scanner backed by the OSV database VS TR Trivy Comprehensive security scanner for containers and code
FeatureOSV-ScannerTrivy
Deploy effortUnder-an-hour setupUnder-an-hour setup
Health score93 · Excellent99 · Excellent
CategoryDeveloper Tools & GitDeveloper Tools & Git
LicenseApache-2.0Apache-2.0
LanguageGoGo
Setup difficultyEasyEasy
Min. RAM256 MB256 MB
Deploymentbinary, dockerdocker, binary, kubernetes
GitHub stars★ 11,080★ 38,048
First released20222019
ReplacesSnyk, Dependabot alertsSnyk, Aqua

What are OSV-Scanner and Trivy?

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

Trivy

Trivy is an open-source vulnerability and misconfiguration scanner for containers, file systems, Git repositories, and Kubernetes. It can run as a CLI or a long-running server for centralized scanning.

  • Scans containers and code
  • Misconfiguration detection
  • SBOM generation
  • Kubernetes integration

Read the full Trivy guide →

OSV-Scanner vs Trivy: key differences

Both projects are written in Go. Trivy is the more established project (first released 2019), while OSV-Scanner arrived in 2022. Trivy has the considerably larger community, at 38,048 GitHub stars versus 11,080.

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 Trivy if…

  • Broad scan coverage
  • Fast and easy CLI
  • Huge vulnerability database

Watch out for

  • Findings can be noisy
  • DB updates need connectivity
Trivy details

Frequently asked questions

Is OSV-Scanner 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 OSV-Scanner and Trivy free and open-source?

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

Can I run OSV-Scanner and Trivy with Docker?

OSV-Scanner: yes. Trivy: yes.

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