CISO Tribune

Vendor comparison · 2 companies

Chainguard vs RapidFort

Chainguard sells hardened open source artifacts that replace vulnerable or malicious versions found publicly. RapidFort sells a single platform that combines runtime visibility, secure image foundations, vulnerability analysis, automated hardening, and compliance validation. CISO Tribune files both under Software supply chain security. This page sets the two records side by side: what each sells, where it is based, who owns and funds it, the customers it names and its recent news, each fact numbered to its source.

Change the companies

Up to four companies side by side.

  • Chainguard
  • RapidFort
Chainguard vs RapidFort: Products, Customers and Funding Compared
ChainguardChainguard sells hardened open source artifacts that replace vulnerable or malicious versions found publicly.chainguard.devRapidFortRapidFort sells a single platform that combines runtime visibility, secure image foundations, vulnerability analysis, automated hardening, and compliance validation.rapidfort.com
What it sells
  • Chainguard Containers[7][10][14]Container images for over 3,000 projects, rebuilt continuously.
  • Chainguard Libraries[12]A malware-free catalog of open source dependencies.
  • Chainguard VMs[13]Minimal Linux virtual machine images based on Chainguard OS.
  • Chainguard OS Packages[14]30,000+ zero-CVE packages for building custom images.
  • Chainguard Actions[15]A catalog of 1,000+ hardened third-party actions.
  • Chainguard Guardener[10]A migration tool that rebuilds Dockerfiles layer by layer.
  • Chainguard Workspaces[19]Chainguard-hardened microVMs that isolate untrusted code.
  • RapidFort Analyzer[1][2][5]Analyzes container image contents, configurations, and real applicability context to produce vulnerability intelligence.
  • RapidFort Optimizer[1]Removes unused components from containers and delivers hardened runtime images.
  • RapidFort CARTEvaluates container environments against security benchmarks and generates audit-ready evidence.
Categories
Headquarters
Not stated on its pagesNot stated on its pages
Founded
Not stated on its pagesNot stated on its pages
Ownership and funding
Privately held[2][3][5][9]Not stated on its pages
Named customers
Not stated on its pagesNot stated on its pages
Recent news
  • November 3, 2026Chainguard introduced Chainguard Harness, an offering for hunting exploitable vulnerabilities in a running application, and opened its beta waitlist.[21]
  • August 17, 2026Chainguard announced that its Chainguard Containers reached SLSA Build Level 3.[7]
  • July 21, 2026Booz Allen Hamilton signed an enterprise license agreement with Chainguard.[8]
  • June 15, 2026Chainguard and partner organizations announced Athena, an industry coalition for the orchestrated defense of open source software.[22]
Not stated on its pages
G2 and Gartner Peer Insights
  • G2: listed, seen November 3, 2026[9]
  • Gartner Peer Insights: Not stated on its pages
  • G2: Not stated on its pages
  • Gartner Peer Insights: Not stated on its pages
Who it fits
From its own pages, Chainguard sells mainly to engineering and security teams whose developers and AI agents pull open source software. Chainguard says its FIPS-validated container variants and OS-level STIG hardening are available for regulated environments. Chainguard addresses vendors handling cardholder data that face PCI DSS vulnerability management requirements. Chainguard says its VMs run across cloud and on-premise environments. Chainguard names compliance frameworks such as FedRAMP and CMMC among those its zero-CVE images help with.Not written yet
Last verified
September 27, 2026October 21, 2026

Where they overlap

  • Software supply chain security is the primary category of both Chainguard and RapidFort.

Where they differ, field by field

  • RapidFort is also filed under Cloud workload protection, Vulnerability management and Software composition analysis.
  • Chainguard lists Chainguard Containers, Chainguard Libraries, Chainguard VMs, Chainguard OS Packages, Chainguard Actions and 2 more. RapidFort lists RapidFort Analyzer, RapidFort Optimizer and RapidFort CART.
  • Chainguard is privately held.

How they differ

CISO Tribune files Chainguard under Software supply chain security, its primary category, and files RapidFort under that category plus Cloud workload protection, Vulnerability management and Software composition analysis. Chainguard sells hardened open source artifacts, including Chainguard Containers, Chainguard Libraries, Chainguard VMs, Chainguard OS Packages and Chainguard Actions. RapidFort sells a platform built around RapidFort Analyzer, RapidFort Optimizer and RapidFort CART.

Both companies work on container images, but in different ways. Chainguard rebuilds container images for over 3,000 projects continuously in a SLSA Level 3 environment. RapidFort Optimizer removes unused components from containers using runtime-validated intelligence and rebuilds optimized images every 24 hours. RapidFort Analyzer exports SBOMs in SPDX, CycloneDX, JSON and CSV, while every Chainguard image ships with a signed SBOM. RapidFort CART uses the OpenSCAP framework to evaluate container environments against security benchmarks.

Chainguard names Shift5, Canva and the Army Software Factory in its customer claims. On July 21, 2026, Booz Allen Hamilton signed an enterprise license agreement with Chainguard. Chainguard introduced Chainguard Harness on November 3, 2026, and is privately held.

What it sells: Chainguard

What Chainguard Containers does[7][10][14]
Chainguard offers container images for over 3,000 projects, and hundreds of Helm charts, rebuilt continuously in a SLSA Level 3 environment. Custom Assembly configures Chainguard Factory to build images to a customer's specifications. Chainguard offers over 1,200 FIPS-validated container variants and OS-level STIG hardening for regulated environments. Every Chainguard image ships with Sigstore signatures, a signed SBOM and SLSA L2 provenance.
What Chainguard Libraries does[12]
Chainguard Libraries is a malware-free catalog of open source dependencies. Chainguard offers a catalog of Python, Java, JavaScript, Go and .NET packages. Chainguard Libraries works with existing artifact managers and workflows.
What Chainguard VMs does[13]
Chainguard VMs are minimal Linux images based on Chainguard OS and come in three types. Chainguard VMs support AWS, Azure, Google Cloud and on-premise hypervisors including VMware, Nutanix and OpenStack. Chainguard VMs carry a CVE remediation SLA of 7 days for critical and 14 days for high, medium, and low through automated rebuilds.
What Chainguard OS Packages does[14]
Chainguard offers 30,000+ zero-CVE packages, including every package powering Chainguard Containers. Chainguard OS Packages has a FIPS variant built with the latest versions of Chainguard's FIPS-validated cryptographic modules.
What Chainguard Actions does[15]
Chainguard Actions are drop-in replacements for upstream GitHub Actions. Every Chainguard Action ships with a full hardening report.
What Chainguard Guardener does[10]
Chainguard Guardener analyzes and rebuilds Dockerfiles layer by layer, maps packages and tests incrementally. Guardener opens a migration pull request for all actions with a drop-in Chainguard equivalent.
What Chainguard Workspaces does[19]
Chainguard Workspaces isolates untrusted code inside Chainguard-hardened microVMs. Chainguard Workspaces is currently in beta and is a Technology Preview.

What it sells: RapidFort

What RapidFort Analyzer does[1][2][5]
RapidFort Analyzer delivers validated vulnerability intelligence across images, registries, CI pipelines, and clusters. RapidFort Analyzer enumerates all files, packages, and configurations within container images, not just those reported by package managers. RapidFort supports SBOM export in SPDX, CycloneDX, JSON, and CSV. RapidFort Analyzer identifies when vulnerabilities originate from base images and recommends near-zero CVE Curated Images as drop-in replacements.
What RapidFort Optimizer does[1]
RapidFort Optimizer removes unused components using runtime-validated intelligence, delivers hardened runtime images, and supports configurable hardening presets. RapidFort rebuilds optimized images every 24 hours and delivers them as drop-in replacements without CI/CD changes. RapidFort offers Light, Standard, and Aggressive hardening levels. RapidFort hardens at the container image layer without modifying code.
What RapidFort CART does
RapidFort CART continuously evaluates container environments against approved security benchmarks, detects drift, and generates remediation guidance with audit-ready evidence. RapidFort CART uses the OpenSCAP framework to evaluate workloads against recognized security benchmarks and organizational baselines.

Questions about Chainguard and RapidFort

What do Chainguard and RapidFort sell?
Chainguard sells Chainguard Containers, Chainguard Libraries, Chainguard VMs, Chainguard OS Packages, Chainguard Actions and 2 more. RapidFort sells RapidFort Analyzer, RapidFort Optimizer and RapidFort CART.
Are Chainguard and RapidFort in the same category?
Yes. Software supply chain security is the primary category of both on CISO Tribune.
Who owns Chainguard and RapidFort?
Chainguard is privately held.
Who are Chainguard and RapidFort sold to?
From its own pages, Chainguard sells mainly to engineering and security teams whose developers and AI agents pull open source software.
What have Chainguard and RapidFort announced recently?
November 3, 2026: Chainguard introduced Chainguard Harness, an offering for hunting exploitable vulnerabilities in a running application, and opened its beta waitlist.

About Chainguard

Chainguard sells hardened open source artifacts that replace vulnerable or malicious versions found publicly. Chainguard says it aims to eliminate malware and vulnerability risk across containers, dependencies, CI/CD actions and AI agent skills. Chainguard hardens open source before developers start writing a single line of code.[1][10]

Chainguard offers container images for over 3,000 projects, and hundreds of Helm charts, rebuilt continuously by AI reconciler agents in a SLSA Level 3 environment. Every Chainguard image ships with Sigstore signatures, a signed SBOM and SLSA L2 provenance. Chainguard Factory tracks upstream changes, triggers clean rebuilds and publishes new images with updated SBOMs and provenance. Custom Assembly configures Chainguard Factory to build images to a customer's specifications, using 30,000+ packages. Chainguard gives direct access to the APKs underpinning entitled Chainguard Containers. Chainguard offers updated EOL images with low-to-zero CVEs for up to 6 months to help teams transition off legacy software. Chainguard extends its secure-by-default standard to commercial ISV software.[1][10]

Chainguard offers over 1,200 FIPS-validated container variants and OS-level STIG hardening for regulated environments. Chainguard says zero-CVE images, signed SBOMs and full provenance simplify compliance across frameworks like FedRAMP, PCI DSS, SOC 2, CMMC and CRA. Chainguard says PCI DSS vulnerability management requirements create significant overhead for vendors handling cardholder data. Chainguard says Shift5 saved 2.5 months of engineering time per person on CVE remediation. Chainguard says Canva dodged hundreds of thousands of malware attacks on npm and PyPI. Chainguard says the Army Software Factory freed up 40% of developer time for mission-enabling innovation.[10][11][13]

Chainguard Libraries is a malware-free catalog of open source dependencies. Chainguard offers a catalog of Python, Java, JavaScript, Go and .NET packages so teams can turn off live access to public registries. Chainguard says customers switch standard registry endpoints to Chainguard to prevent malware and shrink the CVE backlog. Chainguard Libraries works with existing artifact managers and workflows. Chainguard says every Chainguard-built version comes with full provenance and signed SBOMs. Chainguard says every remediated package includes embedded SLSA L3 provenance and SBOMs. Chainguard says every package is scanned for malicious behavior before distribution. Chainguard Repository provides every package needed on day one and lets customers configure cooldowns.[12]

Chainguard VMs are minimal Linux images based on Chainguard OS and come in three types. Chainguard VMs include only the essential components for running containers: a Linux kernel, systemd, glibc, and optional userspace tools like SSH. Chainguard VMs support AWS, Azure, Google Cloud and on-premise hypervisors including VMware, Nutanix and OpenStack. Chainguard VMs carry a CVE remediation SLA of 7 days for critical and 14 days for high, medium, and low through automated rebuilds. Chainguard VMs support kernel-independent FIPS 140-3-validated cryptography. Chainguard VMs offer DISA STIG hardening and CIS Benchmark Level 1 hardening.[13]

Chainguard offers 30,000+ zero-CVE packages, including every package powering Chainguard Containers. Chainguard says secure packages can be swapped in whether a team builds with Bazel, Melange, Dockerfiles or another tool. Chainguard says every artifact ships with build-time generated SBOMs. Chainguard OS Packages has a FIPS variant built with the latest versions of Chainguard's FIPS-validated cryptographic modules. Chainguard offers a catalog of 1,000+ hardened third-party actions. Chainguard Actions are drop-in replacements for upstream GitHub Actions. Chainguard re-verifies and rehardens every action whenever its upstream version changes or a new attack pattern emerges. Every Chainguard Action ships with a full hardening report. Chainguard Guardener analyzes and rebuilds Dockerfiles layer by layer, maps packages and tests incrementally. Guardener opens a migration pull request for all actions with a drop-in Chainguard equivalent. Chainguard offers 1,000+ hardened community skills that are safe from malicious instructions.[10][14][15][16]

Chainguard says reconciler bots and AI agents run continuously across its entire catalog. Chainguard says every package is rebuilt from source in an isolated SLSA L3 environment on its own minimal OS. Chainguard says every build starts with an immutable SHA reference to the upstream source. Chainguard says it signs every artifact it ships. Chainguard says every image is rebuilt with a separate apko toolchain to produce a bitwise-equivalent result.[1][17]

Chainguard Checks runs CI inside Chainguard microVMs that produce cryptographically signed attestations. Chainguard Checks is currently in beta and is a Technology Preview. Chainguard Workspaces isolates untrusted code inside Chainguard-hardened microVMs. Chainguard Workspaces is currently in beta and is a Technology Preview. Chainguard Harness builds an application from source in an isolated environment and lets Mythos 5.1 hunt through a live instance for exploitable vulnerabilities. Chainguard Harness is currently in beta and is a Technology Preview.[1][4][6][18][19][20]

Chainguard on the record

Sources

Chainguard full record

  1. [1]chainguard.devChainguard · chainguard.dev · undated page, accessed September 27, 2026 · Tier A
  2. [2]Chainguard announces 280 million growth financing from general catalyst to usher in next era of trusted open source software 302592279Chainguard via PR Newswire · prnewswire.com · published October 23, 2025 · Tier A
  3. [3]Chainguard for the Public Sector | Secure OSSChainguard · undated page, accessed October 23, 2026 · Tier A
  4. [4]Chainguard for Financial Services | Prevent cyber attacksChainguard · undated page, accessed October 23, 2026 · Tier A
  5. [5]The trusted source for open source | ChainguardChainguard · undated page, accessed October 23, 2026 · Tier A
  6. [6]Chainguard for Startups | Scale fast and securelyChainguard · undated page, accessed October 23, 2026 · Tier A
  7. [7]Proven, not promised: Chainguard Containers achieves SLSA Build Level 3Chainguard · published August 17, 2026 · Tier A
  8. [8]Booz Allen Hamilton signs enterprise license agreement with ChainguardChainguard · published July 21, 2026 · Tier A
  9. [9]Chainguard Reviews 2026: Details, Pricing, & Features - G2G2 · undated page, accessed October 23, 2026 · Tier C
  10. [10]Chainguard Containers | 3,000+ hardened container imagesChainguard · undated page, accessed November 3, 2026 · Tier A
  11. [11]Simplify PCI-DSS Requirements with ChainguardChainguard · undated page, accessed November 3, 2026 · Tier A
  12. [12]Chainguard Libraries | Secure Open Source DependenciesChainguard · undated page, accessed November 3, 2026 · Tier A
  13. [13]Chainguard VMs | Secure your virtual machine imagesChainguard · undated page, accessed November 3, 2026 · Tier A
  14. [14]Chainguard OS Packages | 30,000+ secure packagesChainguard · undated page, accessed November 3, 2026 · Tier A
  15. [15]Chainguard Actions | Secure-by-default CI/CD workflowsChainguard · undated page, accessed November 3, 2026 · Tier A
  16. [16]Chainguard Guardener | Easy, AI-assisted migrationChainguard · undated page, accessed November 3, 2026 · Tier A
  17. [17]Chainguard Factory | ChainguardChainguard · undated page, accessed November 3, 2026 · Tier A
  18. [18]Chainguard Checks | Ship through trusted CIChainguard · undated page, accessed November 3, 2026 · Tier A
  19. [19]Chainguard Workspaces | Code safely with agentsChainguard · undated page, accessed November 3, 2026 · Tier A
  20. [20]Chainguard Harness | Eliminate CVE and malware exposureChainguard · undated page, accessed November 3, 2026 · Tier A
  21. [21]Everything we announced at Chainguard Assemble London 2026Chainguard · published November 3, 2026 · Tier A
  22. [22]Chainguard Launches Athena, the Industry Coalition to Fix Open Source Vulnerabilities Before Attackers Can Find ThemPR Newswire · published June 15, 2026 · Tier A

RapidFort full record

  1. [1]rapidfort.comRapidFort · rapidfort.com · undated page, accessed October 21, 2026 · Tier A
  2. [2]RapidFort Platform | Software Supply Chain Security for Containerized ApplicationsRapidFort · undated page, accessed November 10, 2026 · Tier A
  3. [3]RapidFort PlatformRapidFort · undated page, accessed November 10, 2026 · Tier A
  4. [4]RapidFort | Software Supply Chain Security Platform for ContainersRapidFort · undated page, accessed November 10, 2026 · Tier A
  5. [5]RapidFort Analyzer | Container Vulnerability Analysis and SBOM GenerationRapidFort · undated page, accessed November 10, 2026 · Tier A
  6. [6]RapidFort Profiler | Runtime Profiling and RBOM® Generation for ContainersRapidFort · undated page, accessed November 10, 2026 · Tier A
  7. [7]RapidFort Optimizer | Reduce Container Attack Surface AutomaticallyRapidFort · undated page, accessed November 10, 2026 · Tier A
  8. [8]RapidFort Runtime: Runtime Vulnerability ProtectionRapidFort · undated page, accessed November 10, 2026 · Tier A
  9. [9]RapidFort CART | Container Compliance Assessment and Remediation ReportingRapidFort · undated page, accessed November 10, 2026 · Tier A
  10. [10]Strengthening Software Security Posture for Defense Missions with RapidFortRapidFort · undated page, accessed November 10, 2026 · Tier A
  11. [11]The Modern Data Company Enhances and Accelerates Data Security with RapidFortRapidFort · undated page, accessed November 10, 2026 · Tier A

Spot a factual error? Request a correction.