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Comparison · Infra & APIs

Clair vs Prisma

A side-by-side editorial comparison of Clair and Prisma — release velocity, themes, recent moves, and the top alternatives to consider.

Clair vs Prisma: at a glance

FeatureClairPrisma
SectorInfra & APIsInfra & APIs
Velocity score2.50.0
Sparks · 30d00
Top themescontainer-security, vulnerability-scanning, sbom, red-hatwasm-query-engine, rust-free, prisma-postgres, developer-tooling
Last editorial update8h ago6mo ago
WebsiteVisit →—

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.

Read the full Clair trajectory →

What is Prisma?

Prisma 7's Rust-free client is the floor — every release since has been hardening the WASM stack and pulling Postgres deeper in.

Prisma is in steady-state release mode after the v7.0 cutover removed the Rust query engine in favor of a WebAssembly query compiler running on the main JS thread. Recent ORM versions have layered on what the WASM architecture made possible — query caching, fast/small compilers, savepoint-based nested transactions — alongside tooling (prisma bootstrap, prisma postgres link, Studio dark mode) that ties the ORM ever more tightly to Prisma's own Postgres offering.

Read the full Prisma trajectory →

Clair vs Prisma: editorial side-by-side

C
Clair
INFRA · APIS
2.5

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.

P
Prisma
INFRA · APIS
0.0

Prisma 7's Rust-free client is the floor — every release since has been hardening the WASM stack and pulling Postgres deeper in.

◆ Current state

Prisma is in steady-state release mode after the v7.0 cutover removed the Rust query engine in favor of a WebAssembly query compiler running on the main JS thread. Recent ORM versions have layered on what the WASM architecture made possible — query caching, fast/small compilers, savepoint-based nested transactions — alongside tooling (prisma bootstrap, prisma postgres link, Studio dark mode) that ties the ORM ever more tightly to Prisma's own Postgres offering.

◆ Where it's heading

Two parallel arcs: (1) catching up on real database semantics that the previous Rust engine couldn't easily expose (savepoints, partial indexes, query caching), and (2) productizing a turnkey Postgres path where the CLI handles provisioning, linking, and migrations end-to-end. Prisma is converging the ORM and the hosted database into a single onboarding experience.

◆ Prediction

Expect the next minor releases to keep paving the Prisma Postgres path — likely connection-pool defaults, edge-runtime-aware client builds, and tighter CI/migration ergonomics. Independent ORM users may continue to feel like a slower-moving lane while bootstrap-style commands favor the hosted DB.

Alternatives to Clair and Prisma

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 Prisma.

See all Clair alternatives → · See all Prisma alternatives →

Recent activity from Clair and Prisma

Latest ship moves from both products, interleaved chronologically. ⚡ = editorial spark.

  1. 13h agoClairClair 4.10 RC reads CycloneDX SBOMs for Java matching
  2. 7mo agoPrismaPrisma ORM v7.7.0: the new prisma bootstrap command
  3. 7mo agoPrismaPrisma ORM v7.6.0: prisma postgres link and Studio dark mode
  4. 8mo agoPrismaPrisma ORM v7.5.0: nested transaction savepoints and Studio updates
  5. 8mo agoPrismaPrisma ORM v7.4.2: bug fixes and quality improvements
  6. 8mo agoPrismaPrisma ORM v7.4.1: bug fixes and quality improvements
  7. 9mo agoPrismaPrisma ORM v7.4.0: Prisma Client query caching and partial indexes
  8. 11mo agoClairClair 4.9 moves CVSS data to NVD's 2.0 feeds
  9. 2y agoClairClair 4.8 replaces Red Hat OVAL data with VEX
  10. 2y agoClairClair 4.7.4 changes the default layer download location
  11. 2y agoClairClair 4.7.3 requires TLS 1.2 or newer
  12. 3y agoClairClair 4.7.2 drops the retired CRDA source

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between Clair and Prisma?

They serve adjacent needs but don't currently overlap on shipped themes. Clair is currently shipping more aggressively (velocity 2.5 vs 0.0), 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 Prisma?

Sparkpulse doesn't pick a winner — we score release velocity, not feature parity. Clair is currently shipping more aggressively (velocity 2.5 vs 0.0), 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 Prisma?

Top Prisma alternatives in Infra & APIs are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "Prisma alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/prisma for the full list with editorial commentary on each.