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Comparison · Infra & APIs

Wazuh vs Clair

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

Shared themes:open-source

Wazuh vs Clair: at a glance

FeatureWazuhClair
SectorInfra & APIsInfra & APIs
Velocity score5.02.5
Sparks · 30d00
Top themessiem, endpoint-security, open-source, security-hardeningcontainer-security, vulnerability-scanning, sbom, red-hat
Last editorial update7h ago7h ago
WebsiteVisit →Visit →

What is Wazuh?

Wazuh hardens its 4.14 line while 5.0 rebuilds how agents talk to the manager.

Wazuh ships 4.14 patch releases roughly every two to three weeks, and almost all of the content is security hardening: path traversal and command injection fixes, input validation in the cluster code, connection deadlines and memory leak fixes. 4.14.10 also added memory limits for oversized rulesets and queue warnings for the vulnerability scanner. In parallel, 5.0.0 reached its second release candidate on October 30.

Read the full Wazuh 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 →

Wazuh vs Clair: editorial side-by-side

W
Wazuh
INFRA · APIS
5.0

Wazuh hardens its 4.14 line while 5.0 rebuilds how agents talk to the manager.

◆ Current state

Wazuh ships 4.14 patch releases roughly every two to three weeks, and almost all of the content is security hardening: path traversal and command injection fixes, input validation in the cluster code, connection deadlines and memory leak fixes. 4.14.10 also added memory limits for oversized rulesets and queue warnings for the vulnerability scanner. In parallel, 5.0.0 reached its second release candidate on October 30.

◆ Where it's heading

5.0 is the real change: agents move to HTTPS for talking to the manager, a new detection engine replaces the 4.x analysis daemon, and every server install becomes a cluster node. The 4.14 branch, meanwhile, reads like a security audit being worked through release by release, which keeps current installs safe while 5.0 settles.

◆ Prediction

More 5.0 release candidates are likely before a final release, and 4.14 patch releases with security fixes should keep coming every few weeks; a 5.0 GA date is not stated in these entries.

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 Wazuh 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 Wazuh or Clair.

See all Wazuh alternatives → · See all Clair alternatives →

Recent activity from Wazuh 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 agoWazuhWazuh 4.14.11 RC1 tightens group paths and agent enrollment
  3. 5d agoWazuhWazuh 4.14.10 adds ruleset memory limits and closes a root injection
  4. 14d agoWazuhWazuh 5.0 RC2 swaps in a new detection engine
  5. 29d agoWazuhWazuh 4.14.9 adds compiler hardening to Linux binaries
  6. 1mo agoWazuhWazuh 5.0 RC1 moves agents to HTTPS and makes every server a cluster
  7. 1mo agoWazuhWazuh 4.14.8 fixes an alert-stopping deadlock
  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 Wazuh and Clair?

Both compete on the same themes — open-source — within Infra & APIs. Wazuh 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 Wazuh better than Clair?

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

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