AI ERP with agents inside the systems you run
AI phone and voice agents for real calls
LLM.coPrivate, self-hosted LLM deployments
Legal AI infrastructure for firms
AI RFP discovery and response drafting
Automatic.coBusiness process automation
CyberAttack.aiThreat detection and defense
Secure AI virtual data roomsArtemis
Artemis is a modular Python-based vulnerability scanner developed by CERT Poland that automates security assessment and report generation for web applications. It is actively maintained, BSD-licensed, and designed for large-scale scanning operations with human-readable output suitable for notifying organizations.
Key facts
Objective fields from the source. Values we can't verify are shown as “Unknown” rather than guessed.
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Repository | CERT-Polska/Artemis |
| Owner | CERT-Polska |
| Primary language | Python |
| License | BSD-3-Clause — OSI-approved |
| Stars | 1.2k |
| Forks | 140 |
| Open issues | 46 |
| Latest release | v3.6.0 (2025-02-24) |
| Last updated | 2026-07-08 |
| Source | https://github.com/CERT-Polska/Artemis |
What Artemis is
A Python vulnerability scanner featuring modular architecture, automated report generation, Docker deployment, and integration with tools like Nuclei. It supports custom user-agent configuration, dependency management via pip-tools, and CI-driven code quality checks via pre-commit.
Get the Artemis source
Clone the repository and explore it locally.
git clone https://github.com/CERT-Polska/Artemis.gitcd Artemis# follow the project's README for install & configurationNeed it deployed, integrated, or customized instead? DEV.co ships production installs.
Best use cases
Implementation considerations
- Docker-based deployment; ensure container runtime and orchestration capability before adoption.
- Requires Python 3 environment and dependency management via pip-tools; pin versions via requirements.txt for reproducibility.
- Development workflow uses pre-commit hooks and unittest-parallel (not standard unittest) to avoid PID 1 subprocess issues with Go binaries like Nuclei.
- Module customization documented but requires understanding the modular architecture; custom modules must comply with BSD 3-Clause licensing.
- Configuration via .env file; review CUSTOM_USER_AGENT and other settings for compliance with target organization policies before scanning.
When to avoid it — and what to weigh
- Need guaranteed production-grade SLAs — README explicitly states 'Artemis is experimental software, under active development - use at your own risk.' Not suitable if production uptime guarantees are required.
- Require proprietary modules without BSD licensing — Core project enforces BSD 3-Clause; additional modules may require review of the separate Artemis-modules-extra repository. Licensing constraints may limit integration of certain tools.
- Minimal operational overhead desired — Docker-based deployment and multi-component architecture (web, backend, etc.) require container orchestration. Docker Compose setup implies moderate infrastructure complexity.
- Vendor support or professional services mandatory — Open-source project with community support (Discord server) but no indication of commercial support offerings. Requires in-house expertise for troubleshooting and customization.
License & commercial use
BSD 3-Clause License (permissive OSI license). Commercial use, modification, and distribution are permitted under standard BSD 3-Clause terms: retain copyright notice, provide license copy, and disclaim warranty.
BSD 3-Clause is a permissive license allowing commercial use without explicit permission. However, confirm that any additional modules from Artemis-modules-extra are also compatible with your license requirements. No commercial support from maintainers is documented; reliance is on community and in-house expertise.
DEV.co evaluation signals
Editorial assessment — not user reviews. Directional, with an explicit confidence level.
| Signal | Assessment |
|---|---|
| Maintenance | Active |
| Documentation | Adequate |
| License clarity | Clear |
| Deployment complexity | Moderate |
| DEV.co fit | Good |
| Assessment confidence | High |
As a vulnerability scanner, Artemis itself acts as a security tool; no specific security posture (e.g., vulnerability disclosure policy, security audit status) is documented. Consider: (1) Scanner behavior is configurable (e.g., user-agent); ensure compliance with target policies. (2) Experimental status means no guarantee of correctness or completeness of vulnerabilities detected. (3) Custom modules must be reviewed for security; license contribution terms require BSD 3-Clause compliance. (4) Docker deployment isolates the scanner; review container image security practices during build.
Alternatives to consider
OpenVAS
Mature, widely-deployed vulnerability scanner with larger community, commercial support options, and longer track record. However, heavier resource footprint and less focused on report generation/notification workflows.
Nessus
Industry-standard proprietary vulnerability scanner with extensive plugin library, vendor support, and compliance reporting. Requires licensing; not open-source, so no customization without vendor approval.
Zed Attack Proxy (OWASP ZAP)
Open-source web application security scanner with strong community and modular design. More focused on dynamic testing and penetration testing than large-scale notification campaigns; lighter weight than Artemis.
Build on Artemis with DEV.co software developers
Start with the official documentation and quick-start guide. For custom module development or deployment at scale, consult Devco's DevOps and custom software services to architect your scanning infrastructure.
Talk to DEV.coRelated open-source tools
Surfaced by semantic similarity across the DEV.co open-source index.
Related on DEV.co
Explore the category and the services that help you build with it.
Artemis FAQ
Can I use Artemis in production without vendor support?
Can I add modules with non-BSD licenses?
How do I customize scanning behavior?
What is the operational overhead to deploy at scale?
Software developers & web developers for hire
The gap between a working Artemis demo and a supportable open-source security system is where DEV.co works. We offer custom software development and web development services for exactly that stretch.
Ready to integrate Artemis into your security workflow?
Start with the official documentation and quick-start guide. For custom module development or deployment at scale, consult Devco's DevOps and custom software services to architect your scanning infrastructure.