Clair review
A self-hosted open-source scanner with indexing, notifications, and SPDX SBOM export.
Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026
Clair is an open-source service for statically analyzing vulnerabilities in OCI and Docker container images. Teams submit manifests through its API or the clairctl command-line tool; Clair indexes image layers, matches package contents against continually ingested security data, and can notify configured consumers when newly discovered vulnerabilities affect indexed manifests. Its audience spans small teams through enterprises that want to operate their own scanner on Linux or through an API.
The product follows a self-hosted, open-source model with a free plan rather than tiered subscriptions. Deployment can be shaped around separate indexer, matcher, and notifier services, or a combined mode, allowing teams to align the components with their operating model. Clair is distributed as source, binaries, and an official container image. Support resources include documentation, community channels, and email, while the platform scope centers on Linux, API access, and self-hosted operation.
Its standout capability is the connection between persistent indexing and vulnerability matching. Index reports retain manifest and layer analysis, and clairctl can generate manifests and vulnerability reports for command-line workflows. Clair also encodes index reports as SPDX 2.3 documents, giving teams a defined SBOM output alongside scanning and notifications. Choose Clair when you need an open-source foundation that you can host and integrate around OCI or Docker analysis. Teams that require explicitly documented CI pipeline scanning, Kubernetes admission enforcement, or remediation guidance should evaluate alternatives whose core workflows cover those needs.
Clair pros and cons
- Where it wins
- Supports static analysis for both OCI and Docker images
- Persists manifest and layer indexes as IndexReports
- Exports index reports as SPDX 2.3 SBOM documents
- Where it doesn't
- Requires self-hosted deployment and operational ownership
- No verified integrations or CI and admission controls
- Remediation guidance is not part of its documented focus
Clair fact sheet, pricing and score →
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