GravityKit
GravityKit folds every GravityView extension into one Pro plugin.
Comparison · Infra & APIs
Clair vs k0s
A side-by-side editorial comparison of Clair and k0s — release velocity, themes, recent moves, and the top alternatives to consider.
Clair vs k0s: 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 k0s?
k0s ships another four-branch patch round, with an IPv6 service CIDR fix on 1.37 and 1.36.
On November 3 k0s released v1.37.2, 1.36.6, 1.35.10 and 1.34.13 within minutes of each other. The 1.37 and 1.36 releases remove a size limit on IPv6 service CIDRs and update containerd to 2.3.6; 1.37.2 also bumps kine, ORAS and troubleshoot. The 1.35 and 1.34 branches take only Kubernetes patch updates.
Clair vs k0s: 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.
k0s
5.0INFRA · APIS
k0s ships another four-branch patch round, with an IPv6 service CIDR fix on 1.37 and 1.36.
◆ Current state
On November 3 k0s released v1.37.2, 1.36.6, 1.35.10 and 1.34.13 within minutes of each other. The 1.37 and 1.36 releases remove a size limit on IPv6 service CIDRs and update containerd to 2.3.6; 1.37.2 also bumps kine, ORAS and troubleshoot. The 1.35 and 1.34 branches take only Kubernetes patch updates.
◆ Where it's heading
k0s now maintains four branches on a shared patch cadence, roughly one coordinated round a week after the 1.37 line opened on October 27. Fixes and dependency updates land on the newest two branches, while older ones receive only Kubernetes patches, which indicates where active support is concentrated.
◆ Prediction
Expect the next coordinated round to follow upstream Kubernetes patch releases, with 1.34 likely to stop receiving updates as 1.37 matures.
Alternatives to Clair and k0s
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 k0s.
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.
Recent activity from Clair and k0s
Latest ship moves from both products, interleaved chronologically. ⚡ = editorial spark.
- 13h agoClairClair 4.10 RC reads CycloneDX SBOMs for Java matching
- 7d agok0s1.37.2+k0s.1: Helm force-upgrade fix and kine, Traefik bumps
- 10d agok0s1.37.2 lifts the IPv6 service CIDR size limit
- 10d agok0s1.36.6: IPv6 CIDR fix, Kubernetes 1.36.6, containerd 2.3.6
- 10d agok0s1.35.10: Kubernetes patch bump
- 10d agok0s1.34.13: Kubernetes patch bump
- 17d agok0sk0s opens the 1.37 line with v1.37.1
- 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 k0s?
They serve adjacent needs but don't currently overlap on shipped themes. k0s 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 k0s?
Sparkpulse doesn't pick a winner — we score release velocity, not feature parity. k0s 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 k0s?
Top k0s alternatives in Infra & APIs are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "k0s alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/k0s for the full list with editorial commentary on each.