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Comparison · Infra & APIs

GLAuth vs Clair

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

GLAuth vs Clair: at a glance

FeatureGLAuthClair
SectorInfra & APIsInfra & APIs
Velocity score0.02.5
Sparks · 30d00
Top themesldap, authentication, security, maintenancecontainer-security, vulnerability-scanning, sbom, red-hat
Last editorial update11d ago8h ago
WebsiteVisit →Visit →

What is GLAuth?

GLAuth's September releases are security dependency updates and build fixes.

GLAuth's 2.5.0 in April was the substantial release, adding OpenTelemetry tracing, embedded plugins and RISC-V builds. Since then releases have been corrective: disabled users rejected on all backends in 2.5.1, a release-time plugin check in 2.5.2, a port-handling fix in 2.5.3, and 2.5.4 on September 13 updating all dependencies to safe versions.

Read the full GLAuth 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 →

GLAuth vs Clair: editorial side-by-side

G
GLAuth
INFRA · APIS
0.0

GLAuth's September releases are security dependency updates and build fixes.

◆ Current state

GLAuth's 2.5.0 in April was the substantial release, adding OpenTelemetry tracing, embedded plugins and RISC-V builds. Since then releases have been corrective: disabled users rejected on all backends in 2.5.1, a release-time plugin check in 2.5.2, a port-handling fix in 2.5.3, and 2.5.4 on September 13 updating all dependencies to safe versions.

◆ Where it's heading

GLAuth is in maintenance after 2.5.0, with occasional security and build releases. No new features have shipped since April.

◆ Prediction

Expect occasional 2.5.x security updates; the entries give no sign of the next feature release.

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 GLAuth 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 GLAuth or Clair.

See all GLAuth alternatives → · See all Clair alternatives →

Recent activity from GLAuth 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. 2mo agoGLAuthGLAuth 2.5.4 updates all dependencies for security
  3. 2mo agoGLAuthGLAuth 2.5.3 restores arbitrary port in tests
  4. 3mo agoGLAuthv2.5.2 checks plugin compatibility at release time
  5. 3mo agoGLAuthv2.5.1 rejects disabled users on every backend during Bind
  6. 6mo agoGLAuthv2.5.0 wires OpenTelemetry tracing through GLAuth end to end ⚡
  7. 11mo agoClairClair 4.9 moves CVSS data to NVD's 2.0 feeds
  8. 2y agoClairClair 4.8 replaces Red Hat OVAL data with VEX
  9. 2y agoClairClair 4.7.4 changes the default layer download location
  10. 2y agoClairClair 4.7.3 requires TLS 1.2 or newer
  11. 3y agoClairClair 4.7.2 drops the retired CRDA source

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between GLAuth and Clair?

They serve adjacent needs but don't currently overlap on shipped themes. Clair is currently shipping more aggressively (velocity 2.5 vs 0.0), 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 GLAuth better than Clair?

Sparkpulse doesn't pick a winner — we score release velocity, not feature parity. Clair is currently shipping more aggressively (velocity 2.5 vs 0.0), 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 GLAuth?

Top GLAuth alternatives in Infra & APIs are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "GLAuth alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/glauth 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.