Open-Source Security · aquasecurity

trivy

Trivy is an open-source security scanner that detects vulnerabilities, misconfigurations, secrets, and software licenses across containers, Kubernetes, code repositories, filesystems, and VMs. It supports most popular languages and operating systems with multiple scanner types and installation methods.

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Source: GitHub — github.com/aquasecurity/trivy

36.8k

GitHub stars

519

Forks

Primary language

Apache-2.0

License (OSI-approved)

Key facts

Objective fields from the source. Values we can't verify are shown as “Unknown” rather than guessed.

Field	Value
Repository	aquasecurity/trivy
Owner	aquasecurity
Primary language	Go
License	Apache-2.0 — OSI-approved
Stars	36.8k
Forks	519
Open issues	226
Latest release	v0.72.0 (2026-06-30)
Last updated	2026-07-08
Source	https://github.com/aquasecurity/trivy

What trivy is

Go-based security tool offering five scanner types (OS packages/dependencies, CVEs, IaC issues, secrets, licenses) across five target types (container images, filesystems, git repos, VM images, Kubernetes clusters). Integrates with CI/CD platforms, Kubernetes operators, and IDEs; supports canary builds for early testing.

Quickstart

Get the trivy source

Clone the repository and explore it locally.

terminalbash

1git clone https://github.com/aquasecurity/trivy.git2cd trivy3# follow the project's README for install & configuration

Need it deployed, integrated, or customized instead? DEV.co ships production installs.

Best use cases

DevSecOps Pipeline Integration

Embed Trivy in GitHub Actions, GitLab CI, or other CI/CD workflows to automatically scan code commits and container images for vulnerabilities and secrets before deployment.

Kubernetes Runtime Security

Use Trivy Operator to continuously scan Kubernetes workloads and cluster configurations, identifying misconfigurations and known CVEs in running containers at scale.

Multi-Target Security Audits

Perform comprehensive security assessments across heterogeneous infrastructure—container registries, IaC repositories, VMs, and filesystems—with a single unified tool.

Implementation considerations

Database updates: Trivy depends on external vulnerability and IaC databases; assess update frequency, latency, and your ability to mirror or cache them in air-gapped environments.
False positives: Configure scanner policies, severity thresholds, and exemption lists to reduce noise; validate findings in your risk context before blocking deployments.
Resource footprint: Test memory and CPU usage when scanning large container images or Kubernetes clusters; canary builds may introduce instability—use stable releases in production.
Secrets scanning accuracy: Trivy's secrets scanner may require tuning; false positives and false negatives are common—complement with secrets management tools and code review.
Compliance alignment: Map Trivy scanner outputs (CVE, misconfig, license) to your compliance frameworks (CIS, PCI, SOC 2); Trivy alone does not provide compliance reporting.

When to avoid it — and what to weigh

Need Proprietary Enterprise Features — Trivy is community-driven open source. For enterprise security management, compliance reporting, and advanced threat remediation, Aqua Security's commercial product may be required instead.
Require Real-Time Threat Intelligence — Trivy relies on vulnerability databases and IaC rule definitions that may lag behind zero-day disclosures. It is not designed as a real-time threat detection system.
Need Guaranteed SLA Support — As an open-source project, Trivy offers community support via GitHub Discussions only. Production deployments requiring commercial support contracts should evaluate vendor-backed alternatives.
Minimal Security Scanning Scope — Trivy's breadth (5 scanner types, 5 target types) may introduce unnecessary complexity if you need to scan only one artifact type with limited scope.

License & commercial use

Licensed under Apache License 2.0 (Apache-2.0), a permissive OSI-approved license permitting commercial use, modification, and distribution with minimal restrictions.

Apache-2.0 permits commercial use without requiring contribution back. However, Trivy is a community open-source project maintained by Aqua Security; commercial support, SLA guarantees, and enterprise features are not included. Aqua Security offers a commercial product (Aqua) that builds on Trivy; review their comparison table and demo form if you need vendor-backed support.

DEV.co evaluation signals

Editorial assessment — not user reviews. Directional, with an explicit confidence level.

Signal	Assessment
Maintenance	Active
Documentation	Strong
License clarity	Clear
Deployment complexity	Low
DEV.co fit	Strong
Assessment confidence	High

Security considerations

Trivy itself is a scanning tool; it does not alter your systems. Key considerations: (1) Verify vulnerability database freshness and accuracy before relying on findings for blocking deployments. (2) Secrets detection depends on pattern matching and is subject to false positives and negatives—do not replace dedicated secrets management. (3) Run Trivy with least privilege in CI/CD to limit blast radius if a scanner component is compromised. (4) Supply chain: assess the source of Trivy's own dependencies and container images; Aqua Security provides builds via Docker Hub, GitHub Container Registry, and ECR.

Alternatives to consider

Grype (Anchore)

Similar open-source vulnerability scanner focused on container images and SBOMs; lighter weight and simpler if you don't need IaC or secrets scanning.

Snyk

Proprietary SaaS platform with broader developer integrations, real-time vulnerability intelligence, and commercial support; preferred for teams prioritizing managed services over self-hosted scanning.

Aqua Security (Commercial)

Enterprise platform built by Trivy's creator; adds policy enforcement, compliance reporting, runtime security, and vendor support; justified if Trivy's community-only model is insufficient.

Software development agency

Build on trivy with DEV.co software developers

Trivy integrates into CI/CD, Kubernetes, and IDEs in minutes. Start with a free pilot scan or contact Aqua Security for enterprise-grade vulnerability management.

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trivy-operator trivy-action osv-scanner

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trivy FAQ

Can Trivy scan private container registries?

Yes, Trivy supports authentication to private registries (ECR, GCR, Docker Hub private repos, etc.). Configure credentials via environment variables or config files per the documentation.

Does Trivy block or fix vulnerabilities automatically?

No. Trivy reports findings and can exit with a non-zero code to fail CI/CD pipelines, but remediation (patching, updating dependencies) must be handled separately by your team or automation.

How often are Trivy's vulnerability databases updated?

Unknown from this data. Review the documentation and GitHub releases for database refresh frequency; this is critical for production use to avoid stale findings.

Is Trivy suitable for air-gapped environments?

Potentially, but with preparation. Trivy requires vulnerability and IaC rule databases; you must mirror or pre-download these for offline use. Consult the installation and configuration docs for your specific setup.

Work with a software development agency

From first prototype to production, DEV.co delivers software development services around tools like trivy. Our software development agency staffs experienced software developers and web developers for custom software development, web development, integrations, and ongoing support across open-source security and beyond.

Ready to secure your supply chain?

Trivy integrates into CI/CD, Kubernetes, and IDEs in minutes. Start with a free pilot scan or contact Aqua Security for enterprise-grade vulnerability management.

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