ts-scan review
A focused, free SCA scanner for CI teams that need broad dependency and SBOM checks.
Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026
ts-scan is an open-source command-line software composition analysis tool for development and DevOps teams. It is designed for local scanning, Docker-based operation, and CI/CD automation, with API and self-hosted deployment options. The scanner detects direct and transitive dependencies across Maven, Gradle, npm, PyPI, NuGet, Dart, Visual Basic 6, Go, and Docker/Syft workflows. Teams that want a free, code-oriented way to inspect open-source components and generate software bills of materials will find its focus a good fit.
Its strongest area is coverage across several software supply-chain checks in one scanner. ts-scan can generate SBOMs in TrustSource, SPDX, and CycloneDX formats, check components against the TrustSource vulnerability database, and analyze licenses and copyrights. It also scans for malware and cryptographic algorithms, while Docker image and filesystem scanning is provided through Syft. Results and third-party SBOMs can be uploaded or imported, including through the TrustSource API and related tooling. CI/CD automation and build-failure policy checks make it suitable for teams that want dependency controls to run as part of builds rather than as a separate review step.
The trade-off is a narrower SCA scope than teams may expect from a larger application-security platform. ts-scan does not provide reachability analysis or pull-request scanning, so it is less suited to prioritizing vulnerabilities by actual code paths or managing dependency findings directly in pull-request workflows. Its ecosystem list is also focused rather than expansive. Choose ts-scan when open-source deployment, self-hosting, SBOM output, and straightforward CI policy enforcement matter most. Teams that need reachability, pull-request analysis, or broader ecosystem coverage should choose an alternative SCA product.
ts-scan pros and cons
- Where it wins
- Scans direct and transitive dependencies across supported ecosystems
- Generates TrustSource, SPDX, and CycloneDX SBOMs
- Adds license, malware, cryptography, Docker, and CI policy checks
- Where it doesn't
- No reachability analysis for prioritizing exploitable dependency paths
- No pull-request scanning workflow
- Ecosystem coverage is narrower than broader SCA platforms
ts-scan fact sheet, pricing and score →
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