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Comparison · Infra & APIs

HAProxy Kubernetes Ingress Controller vs Clair

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

HAProxy Kubernetes Ingress Controller vs Clair: at a glance

FeatureHAProxy Kubernetes Ingress ControllerClair
SectorInfra & APIsInfra & APIs
Velocity score6.32.5
Sparks · 30d10
Top themesingress-controller, haproxy, kubernetes, custom-resourcescontainer-security, vulnerability-scanning, sbom, red-hat
Last editorial update1d ago7h ago
WebsiteVisit →Visit →

What is HAProxy Kubernetes Ingress Controller?

HAProxy's ingress controller jumps to 3.4, drops Gateway API and config snippets.

After nineteen 3.2 patches, the controller released v3.4.0 on 12 November on top of HAProxy 3.4. It removes Gateway API support and config snippet annotations, announces further annotation deprecations, and retires the server-slot annotations by creating and deleting backend servers through HAProxy's runtime API. Custom resources that HAProxy rejects are now set aside and counted in a metric instead of breaking the config.

Read the full HAProxy Kubernetes Ingress Controller 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 →

HAProxy Kubernetes Ingress Controller vs Clair: editorial side-by-side

H6.3

HAProxy's ingress controller jumps to 3.4, drops Gateway API and config snippets.

◆ Current state

After nineteen 3.2 patches, the controller released v3.4.0 on 12 November on top of HAProxy 3.4. It removes Gateway API support and config snippet annotations, announces further annotation deprecations, and retires the server-slot annotations by creating and deleting backend servers through HAProxy's runtime API. Custom resources that HAProxy rejects are now set aside and counted in a metric instead of breaking the config.

◆ Where it's heading

The project is narrowing its configuration surface to its own custom resources: snippets and Gateway API are gone, annotations are being deprecated, and the 3.2 line had already added Frontend amendments through a custom resource. Runtime API server changes and the rejected-resource handling point to fewer reloads and fewer config-wide failures.

◆ Prediction

Expect 3.4 patch releases fixing migration problems for users who relied on snippets or deprecated annotations, and a published removal schedule for the annotations announced as deprecated.

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 HAProxy Kubernetes Ingress Controller 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 HAProxy Kubernetes Ingress Controller or Clair.

See all HAProxy Kubernetes Ingress Controller alternatives → · See all Clair alternatives →

Recent activity from HAProxy Kubernetes Ingress Controller and Clair

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

  1. 12h agoClairClair 4.10 RC reads CycloneDX SBOMs for Java matching
  2. 2d agoHAProxy Kubernetes Ingress Controllerv3.4.0: HAProxy 3.4, no Gateway API, no config snippets ⚡
  3. 14d agoHAProxy Kubernetes Ingress Controllerv3.2.19: reload flag data race fix and x/ package bumps
  4. 24d agoHAProxy Kubernetes Ingress Controllerv3.2.18: keeps all TLS secrets per host, CRD panic fix
  5. 1mo agoHAProxy Kubernetes Ingress Controllerv3.2.17: k8s.io, x/ and client-native dependency updates
  6. 1mo agoHAProxy Kubernetes Ingress Controllerv3.2.16: dependency, CI and test maintenance
  7. 2mo agoHAProxy Kubernetes Ingress Controllerv3.2.15: IngressClass ingestion fix, status rework, Go 1.27
  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 HAProxy Kubernetes Ingress Controller and Clair?

They serve adjacent needs but don't currently overlap on shipped themes. HAProxy Kubernetes Ingress Controller is currently shipping more aggressively (velocity 6.3 vs 2.5), with 1 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 HAProxy Kubernetes Ingress Controller better than Clair?

Sparkpulse doesn't pick a winner — we score release velocity, not feature parity. HAProxy Kubernetes Ingress Controller is currently shipping more aggressively (velocity 6.3 vs 2.5), with 1 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 HAProxy Kubernetes Ingress Controller?

Top HAProxy Kubernetes Ingress Controller alternatives in Infra & APIs are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "HAProxy Kubernetes Ingress Controller alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/haproxy-ingress 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.