Container Security
Chainguard
Zero-CVE container images built from source with daily rebuilds and fast remediation SLAs.
Chainguard Overview
What it does
Chainguard Containers is a catalog of 1,700+ minimal, distroless container images that eliminate software supply chain vulnerabilities through continuous source rebuilds and zero-CVE architecture. Unlike traditional container registries that aggregate community images, Chainguard builds every image from source using its proprietary Chainguard OS (based on Wolfi undistro), achieving an average 97.6% reduction in Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures (CVEs) compared to standard open source equivalents while maintaining production-ready performance.
How it works
The platform rebuilds all container images nightly from verified source code with industry-leading remediation Service Level Agreements (SLAs): 7 days for critical CVEs, 14 days for high/medium/low severity vulnerabilities. Each image is cryptographically signed with Sigstore, includes high-quality Software Bills of Materials (SBOMs), and maintains Supply Chain Levels for Software Artifacts (SLSA) Level 2 compliance, with automated Chainguard Factory managing the entire build, test, patch, and release pipeline on Kubernetes infrastructure.
Credentials and traction
Chainguard holds SOC 2 Type II certification. In 2026 it was named a Leader in the inaugural Gartner Magic Quadrant for Software Supply Chain Security, positioned furthest right for Completeness of Vision among all vendors evaluated. Its container images are used by organizations including Snowflake, Canva, Anduril, OpenAI, GitLab, Nasdaq, HPE, and Snap.
Key Capabilities
mapped to solution categoriesApplies CIS Docker Benchmark and CIS Kubernetes Worker Node Benchmark controls to base images, removing unnecessary packages, setting secure defaults, and configuring file permissions.
Monitors managed SBOMs against the NVD, OSV, and vendor advisories, alerting when newly published CVEs match components in any tracked SBOM.
Provides distroless image variants that contain only the language runtime and application binary, no shell, no package manager, no /tmp. Eliminates entire classes of post-exploitation tooling.
Uses FIPS 140-2 or 140-3 validated cryptographic libraries in all TLS and crypto operations, required for FedRAMP, DoD, and other federal workloads.
Signs image manifests with Sigstore/Cosign or Notary v2, enabling downstream consumers to verify image integrity and provenance before deployment.
Builds images with only the application runtime and required dependencies, eliminating shells, package managers, and debugging tools that expand the attack surface.
On-demand generation of software, firmware, and hardware bills of materials (SBOM, FBOM, HBOM) for endpoints, servers, and network devices, extending component inventory below the application layer.
Verification of build integrity and artifact provenance through signing, attestation, and change attribution.
Risk context for open-source dependencies including reachability, exploitability, and upgrade impact.
Governs third-party software consumption to apply consistent software supply chain security policy.
Compliance
certificationsIntegrations
compatible toolsImplementation & support
Info last updated on May 27, 2026
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