GravityKit
GravityKit folds every GravityView extension into one Pro plugin.
Comparison · Infra & APIs
Clair vs DNSimple
A side-by-side editorial comparison of Clair and DNSimple — release velocity, themes, recent moves, and the top alternatives to consider.
Shared themes:open-source
Clair vs DNSimple: at a glance
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.
What is DNSimple?
DNSimple's origin name servers answer a quarter faster at p90 after erldns work
DNSimple keeps tuning the Erlang stack it now runs end to end. The November 4 post says p90 query time on its origin name servers is down about a quarter, and about a third for DNSSEC queries, with roughly a third less CPU, and record changes now switch in one step so existing records never briefly disappear. It follows October's dns_erlang rewrite, which cut CPU per query by 12%, and the August finish of the migration to fully owned infrastructure. Above that layer sit the CLI launched in May, browser login from June, and Domain Trustee.
Clair vs DNSimple: editorial side-by-side
Clair
2.5INFRA · APIS
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.
DNSimple
5.0INFRA · APIS
DNSimple's origin name servers answer a quarter faster at p90 after erldns work
◆ Current state
DNSimple keeps tuning the Erlang stack it now runs end to end. The November 4 post says p90 query time on its origin name servers is down about a quarter, and about a third for DNSSEC queries, with roughly a third less CPU, and record changes now switch in one step so existing records never briefly disappear. It follows October's dns_erlang rewrite, which cut CPU per query by 12%, and the August finish of the migration to fully owned infrastructure. Above that layer sit the CLI launched in May, browser login from June, and Domain Trustee.
◆ Where it's heading
Since owning its full DNS edge, DNSimple has turned to measurable performance work on erldns and dns_erlang, published openly. The product layer above, CLI and API clients, is moving more slowly.
◆ Prediction
Expect more erldns and dns_erlang performance posts; the entries show no sign of a new customer-facing product soon.
Alternatives to Clair and DNSimple
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 Clair or DNSimple.
Payload CMS
Payload's v4 beta.9 keeps every past image crop and raises the Node floor again.
Nautobot
Nautobot 3.3 alpha 2 adds test helpers and a cable location filter after 3.2.9's token-leak fix.
Shuffle
Shuffle tags builds almost daily, but the notes are empty.
KrakenD
KrakenD's community edition is shipping only dependency bumps.
Velociraptor
Velociraptor's recent releases are mostly about patching CVEs.
See all Clair alternatives → · See all DNSimple alternatives →
Recent activity from Clair and DNSimple
Latest ship moves from both products, interleaved chronologically. ⚡ = editorial spark.
- 13h agoClairClair 4.10 RC reads CycloneDX SBOMs for Java matching
- 9d agoDNSimpleLower latency on our origin name servers
- 22d agoDNSimpleFaster DNS with dns_erlang ⚡
- 2mo agoDNSimpleFully Independent DNS Edge
- 4mo agoDNSimpleNew case study: Always Beyond
- 4mo agoDNSimpleDNSimple CLI is now available straight from your browser
- 5mo agoDNSimpleDomain Trustee now available ⚡
- 11mo agoClairClair 4.9 moves CVSS data to NVD's 2.0 feeds
- 2y agoClairClair 4.8 replaces Red Hat OVAL data with VEX
- 2y agoClairClair 4.7.4 changes the default layer download location
- 2y agoClairClair 4.7.3 requires TLS 1.2 or newer
- 3y agoClairClair 4.7.2 drops the retired CRDA source
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between Clair and DNSimple?
Both compete on the same themes — open-source — within Infra & APIs. DNSimple 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 Clair better than DNSimple?
Sparkpulse doesn't pick a winner — we score release velocity, not feature parity. DNSimple 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 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.
What are the best alternatives to DNSimple?
Top DNSimple alternatives in Infra & APIs are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "DNSimple alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/dnsimple for the full list with editorial commentary on each.