Chainguard
Container security tools
DevSecOps software
- Features
- Ease of use
- Ease of management
- Quality of support
- Affordability
- Market presence
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$19,000 Starts at $19K for a team of 10
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Free version
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- Information technology and software
- Banking and insurance
- Healthcare and life sciences
What is Chainguard
Chainguard provides hardened container images and related software supply chain security services intended to reduce known vulnerabilities in containerized workloads. It targets platform engineering, DevOps, and security teams that build and run applications on Kubernetes and other container platforms. The product focuses on minimal, frequently rebuilt images, signed artifacts, and vulnerability visibility for base images and dependencies used in CI/CD pipelines.
Hardened, minimal base images
Chainguard Images emphasize reduced package footprint and removal of unnecessary components, which can lower the number of disclosed CVEs in base images. This is useful for teams standardizing on a small set of approved images across many services. It also supports organizations that need consistent baselines for container runtime environments.
Frequent rebuilds and patching
The offering centers on continuously rebuilt images to incorporate upstream security fixes quickly. This helps teams avoid long-lived base images that accumulate vulnerabilities between release cycles. It can reduce operational effort compared with maintaining custom hardened images internally.
Supply chain integrity features
Chainguard supports signed artifacts and provenance-oriented workflows that fit into DevSecOps pipelines. This aligns with practices such as verifying image signatures before deployment and tracking what goes into production images. It is particularly relevant for regulated environments that require stronger controls around artifact integrity.
Not a full CNAPP platform
Chainguard primarily addresses container image hardening and software supply chain controls rather than broad cloud posture management. Organizations may still need separate tools for runtime threat detection, cloud configuration risk, and workload posture across accounts and clusters. This can increase the number of vendors to manage for end-to-end cloud security.
Adoption requires image standardization
Value is highest when teams can standardize on Chainguard-provided base images and align build pipelines accordingly. Migrating from existing distro images or bespoke bases can require application testing, dependency adjustments, and policy updates. Some workloads with specialized OS packages may not map cleanly to minimal images.
Coverage depends on ecosystem fit
Support varies by language stacks, frameworks, and base image needs, and some organizations may require images or packages outside the provided catalog. Teams may still need to maintain exceptions or custom builds for niche dependencies. This can complicate governance if a portion of workloads cannot use the standardized images.
Plan & Pricing
Chainguard — Pricing extracted from official site (chainguard.dev / images.chainguard.dev)
Chainguard Containers
| Plan | Price | Key features & notes |
|---|---|---|
| Free Images | Free | ~50 container images available to test and deploy; tags only; not covered by CVE remediation SLA. |
| Per-Image (Scoped Production Deployments) | Request enterprise pricing | Licensed by number and type of images (base, app, AI/ML, FIPS); contractual CVE remediation SLA; all upstream supported tags. |
| Catalog (Wall-to-wall standardization) | Starts at $19K for a team of 10 (quoted on site) | Full access to 2,000+ images; contractual CVE SLA (7 days for critical, 14 days for high/med/low); ability to request new images; unlimited pulls with no metering. |
Chainguard Libraries
| Plan | Price | Key features & notes |
|---|---|---|
| Per‑Ecosystem (Library catalog) | Get a free quote | Licensed by ecosystem based on number of developers using that language (e.g., Python, Java, JavaScript); unlimited applications per ecosystem with no metering; backported CVE patches for certain high/critical issues; currently noted as Python only for availability. |
Chainguard VMs
| Plan | Price | Key features & notes |
|---|---|---|
| Per-Image (Scoped Production Deployments) | Get a free quote | Licensed by number and type of VM images (container host, base, app, FIPS); contractual CVE remediation SLA; enterprise-grade support for multi-cloud and on‑prem. |
| Catalog (Full VM catalog) | Get a free quote | Full access to Chainguard VM catalog; contractual CVE SLA; customization via HashiCorp Packer; enterprise support. |
Notes & source context:
- Pricing page explicitly shows “Starts at $19K for a team of 10” for the Containers Catalog offering. No other public list prices (monthly or per-seat) are published on the official pricing page; most commercial offerings are "request a quote" / "get a free quote".
- Chainguard offers a permanent set of free images (~50) for testing/deployment; these are explicitly described as free on the official site and are limited to tags and are not covered under the CVE SLA.
- The site documents licensing models (Catalog vs Per-Image / Per-Ecosystem) but does not publish standard per-developer or per-image prices except the $19K starting indicator for the Containers Catalog.
Seller details
Chainguard, Inc.
Kirkland, Washington, USA
2021
Private
https://www.chainguard.dev/
https://x.com/chainguard_dev
https://www.linkedin.com/company/chainguard/
