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Comparison · Infra & APIs

Cronicle vs Clair

A side-by-side editorial comparison of Cronicle and Clair — release velocity, themes, recent moves, and the top alternatives to consider.

Cronicle vs Clair: at a glance

FeatureCronicleClair
SectorInfra & APIsInfra & APIs
Velocity score5.02.5
Sparks · 30d00
Top themesjob scheduler, security, permissions, clustercontainer-security, vulnerability-scanning, sbom, red-hat
Last editorial update4d ago8h ago
WebsiteVisit →Visit →

What is Cronicle?

Cronicle ships eleven more security fixes in a day, from path traversal to token reuse.

Cronicle has moved from dependency bumps to a security sweep. On November 7 three releases fixed path traversal in job log deletion, reused cluster auth tokens, cross-category history disclosure, script parameter overrides in run_event, an echo endpoint and log watch tokens authorizing cluster broadcasts. That follows 0.9.141 and 0.9.142, which closed plugin substitution and API key leaks.

Read the full Cronicle trajectory →

What is Clair?

Clair 4.10 RC can read SBOMs to match Java vulnerabilities.

Clair cut its first 4.10.0 release candidate on November 13, eleven months after 4.9.0. Its Java indexers can now read CycloneDX SBOM files and treat them as the source of truth, and Red Hat's VEX data now covers Maven advisories, so Java packages in Red Hat images can be matched. It also reduces memory use when many packages share a source package.

Read the full Clair trajectory →

Cronicle vs Clair: editorial side-by-side

C
Cronicle
INFRA · APIS
5.0

Cronicle ships eleven more security fixes in a day, from path traversal to token reuse.

◆ Current state

Cronicle has moved from dependency bumps to a security sweep. On November 7 three releases fixed path traversal in job log deletion, reused cluster auth tokens, cross-category history disclosure, script parameter overrides in run_event, an echo endpoint and log watch tokens authorizing cluster broadcasts. That follows 0.9.141 and 0.9.142, which closed plugin substitution and API key leaks.

◆ Where it's heading

The fixes cover the API, cluster sockets and file access, which reads like a systematic audit rather than one-off reports. The pace suggests more fixes may follow before the sweep ends.

◆ Prediction

Expect more permission and cluster hardening releases in the next week, then a return to dependency bumps.

C
Clair
INFRA · APIS
2.5

Clair 4.10 RC can read SBOMs to match Java vulnerabilities.

◆ Current state

Clair cut its first 4.10.0 release candidate on November 13, eleven months after 4.9.0. Its Java indexers can now read CycloneDX SBOM files and treat them as the source of truth, and Red Hat's VEX data now covers Maven advisories, so Java packages in Red Hat images can be matched. It also reduces memory use when many packages share a source package.

◆ Where it's heading

Since 4.8 Clair has moved from Red Hat's older OVAL data to VEX, and each release follows Red Hat's security data more closely. 4.10 adds SBOMs as an input, so Clair can match what an image's own manifest declares, not only what it finds on disk.

◆ Prediction

More 4.10 release candidates and then a final are likely; the long gap between releases suggests that could take weeks.

Alternatives to Cronicle and Clair

Other Infra & APIs products tracked by Sparkpulse, ranked by recent ship velocity. Each card links to a full editorial trajectory and lets you pivot into a head-to-head comparison with either Cronicle or Clair.

See all Cronicle alternatives → · See all Clair alternatives →

Recent activity from Cronicle and Clair

Latest ship moves from both products, interleaved chronologically. ⚡ = editorial spark.

  1. 13h agoClairClair 4.10 RC reads CycloneDX SBOMs for Java matching
  2. 6d agoCronicleCronicle 0.9.145 locks down status API and log watch tokens
  3. 7d agoCronicleCronicle 0.9.144 closes history leak and script overrides
  4. 7d agoCronicleCronicle 0.9.143 fixes path traversal and token reuse
  5. 11d agoCronicleCronicle 0.9.142 blocks chain-reaction abuse and API key leaks
  6. 12d agoCronicleCronicle 0.9.141 stops plugin substitution via run_event
  7. 16d agoCronicleCronicle 0.9.140 bumps pixl-tools, removes picomatch
  8. 11mo agoClairClair 4.9 moves CVSS data to NVD's 2.0 feeds
  9. 2y agoClairClair 4.8 replaces Red Hat OVAL data with VEX
  10. 2y agoClairClair 4.7.4 changes the default layer download location
  11. 2y agoClairClair 4.7.3 requires TLS 1.2 or newer
  12. 3y agoClairClair 4.7.2 drops the retired CRDA source

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between Cronicle and Clair?

They serve adjacent needs but don't currently overlap on shipped themes. Cronicle is currently shipping more aggressively (velocity 5.0 vs 2.5), with 0 editorial sparks in the last 30 days against 0. See the at-a-glance table above for a side-by-side breakdown of velocity, recent sparks, and editorial themes.

Is Cronicle better than Clair?

Sparkpulse doesn't pick a winner — we score release velocity, not feature parity. Cronicle is currently shipping more aggressively (velocity 5.0 vs 2.5), with 0 editorial sparks in the last 30 days against 0. For your specific use case, the alternatives sections above list other Infra & APIs products to evaluate alongside.

What are the best alternatives to Cronicle?

Top Cronicle alternatives in Infra & APIs are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "Cronicle alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/cronicle for the full list with editorial commentary on each.

What are the best alternatives to Clair?

Top Clair alternatives in Infra & APIs are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "Clair alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/clair for the full list with editorial commentary on each.