GravityKit
GravityKit folds every GravityView extension into one Pro plugin.
Comparison · Infra & APIs
Clair vs Parse Server
A side-by-side editorial comparison of Clair and Parse Server — release velocity, themes, recent moves, and the top alternatives to consider.
Clair vs Parse Server: 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 Parse Server?
Parse Server's alphas close an account-takeover bug and open 9.12 with Keycloak audience checks.
Parse Server spent November 4 to 10 on 9.11.1 security alphas. The latest close a bug where changing another user's password returned that user's session token, a Google Play Games adapter that accepted foreign player IDs, and a default upload filter that let RSS and Atom files through. 9.12.0 opened on November 10 with a Keycloak audience check, and alpha.2 fixes a LiveQuery event-loop block.
Clair vs Parse Server: 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.
Parse Server
5.0INFRA · APIS
Parse Server's alphas close an account-takeover bug and open 9.12 with Keycloak audience checks.
◆ Current state
Parse Server spent November 4 to 10 on 9.11.1 security alphas. The latest close a bug where changing another user's password returned that user's session token, a Google Play Games adapter that accepted foreign player IDs, and a default upload filter that let RSS and Atom files through. 9.12.0 opened on November 10 with a Keycloak audience check, and alpha.2 fixes a LiveQuery event-loop block.
◆ Where it's heading
Most releases are security fixes, many tied to published GHSA advisories, and they cluster around auth adapters, triggers and query limits. The new features also tighten auth, so the project is hardening its identity surface more than adding capability.
◆ Prediction
Expect more auth-adapter and LiveQuery advisories in the 9.12 alphas before a stable cut bundles them.
Alternatives to Clair and Parse Server
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 Parse Server.
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 Parse Server alternatives →
Recent activity from Clair and Parse Server
Latest ship moves from both products, interleaved chronologically. ⚡ = editorial spark.
- 13h agoClairClair 4.10 RC reads CycloneDX SBOMs for Java matching
- 3d agoParse ServerParse Server fixes a LiveQuery event-loop block
- 3d agoParse ServerParse Server 9.12 alpha adds Keycloak audience validation
- 3d agoParse ServerParse Server blocks RSS and Atom uploads by default
- 3d agoParse ServerParse Server stops password changes leaking session tokens
- 4d agoParse ServerParse Server checks Google Play Games player IDs
- 8d agoParse ServerParse Server closes a nested $regex gap in query limits
- 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 Parse Server?
They serve adjacent needs but don't currently overlap on shipped themes. Parse Server 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 Parse Server?
Sparkpulse doesn't pick a winner — we score release velocity, not feature parity. Parse Server 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 Parse Server?
Top Parse Server alternatives in Infra & APIs are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "Parse Server alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/parse-server for the full list with editorial commentary on each.