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Comparison · Infra & APIs

Keycloak vs Clair

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

Keycloak vs Clair: at a glance

FeatureKeycloakClair
SectorInfra & APIsInfra & APIs
Velocity score5.02.5
Sparks · 30d00
Top themesidentity, iam, patch-releases, lts-maintenancecontainer-security, vulnerability-scanning, sbom, red-hat
Last editorial update4d ago7h ago
WebsiteVisit →Visit →

What is Keycloak?

Keycloak cuts 26.4.18 and 26.6.9 together, plus Red Hat rebuilds; the tags carry no notes.

The tracked Keycloak entries are version-set commits for two supported lines, 26.4.x and 26.6.x, cut on the same day. November brought 26.4.18 and 26.6.9 on November 4, followed by -redhat2 rebuilds of both a day or two later. The feed carries only the version bump, so the fixes inside each patch aren't visible here.

Read the full Keycloak 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 →

Keycloak vs Clair: editorial side-by-side

K
Keycloak
INFRA · APIS
5.0

Keycloak cuts 26.4.18 and 26.6.9 together, plus Red Hat rebuilds; the tags carry no notes.

◆ Current state

The tracked Keycloak entries are version-set commits for two supported lines, 26.4.x and 26.6.x, cut on the same day. November brought 26.4.18 and 26.6.9 on November 4, followed by -redhat2 rebuilds of both a day or two later. The feed carries only the version bump, so the fixes inside each patch aren't visible here.

◆ Where it's heading

The two-line lockstep maintenance continues, with the gap since September suggesting skipped tags or a slower cadence. The Red Hat rebuild tags show the downstream product build tracking upstream patches within days.

◆ Prediction

Expect the next paired 26.4/26.6 patch in a few weeks; the entries give no view of feature work.

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 Keycloak 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 Keycloak or Clair.

See all Keycloak alternatives → · See all Clair alternatives →

Recent activity from Keycloak 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. 8d agoKeycloakKeycloak 26.4.18 Red Hat rebuild
  3. 8d agoKeycloakKeycloak 26.6.9 Red Hat rebuild
  4. 9d agoKeycloakKeycloak 26.6.9 patch release
  5. 9d agoKeycloakKeycloak 26.4.18 patch release
  6. 2mo agoKeycloakKeycloak 26.4.16 patch release
  7. 2mo agoKeycloakKeycloak 26.6.7 patch release
  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 Keycloak and Clair?

They serve adjacent needs but don't currently overlap on shipped themes. Keycloak 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 Keycloak better than Clair?

Sparkpulse doesn't pick a winner — we score release velocity, not feature parity. Keycloak 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 Keycloak?

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