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Comparison · Infra & APIs

Nautobot vs Quay

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

Shared themes:security

Nautobot vs Quay: at a glance

FeatureNautobotQuay
SectorInfra & APIsInfra & APIs
Velocity score5.05.0
Sparks · 30d00
Top themesnetwork-automation, security, permissions, apicontainer-registry, security, cve-patching, lts-maintenance
Last editorial update3h ago14h ago
WebsiteVisit →Visit →

What is Nautobot?

Nautobot 3.3 alpha 2 adds test helpers and a cable location filter after 3.2.9's token-leak fix.

Nautobot's 3.2 and 2.4 lines still ship same-day security releases every two weeks; on November 9 v3.2.9 and v2.4.46 fixed a flaw where the Export Object List job let users read other users' API token keys. The 3.3 feature line opened the same day with REST API rate limiting and JSON and YAML exports. v3.3.0a2 on November 13 mostly adds Playwright helpers for App test suites, along with a location filter on the cable connection form and a fix for a login page that reloaded every 15 seconds.

Read the full Nautobot trajectory →

What is Quay?

Quay patches three supported lines on one afternoon, mostly CVE bumps.

Quay's enterprise lines ship paired monthly security releases. On November 13 three lines moved within minutes: 3.14.10, 3.12.24 and 3.10.28, each bumping PyJWT, cryptography, pillow, oauthlib and other pinned libraries for CVEs, plus a fix for an onboarding issue. The mirror-registry installer tagged v3.0.0 on November 9 with only dependency bumps noted.

Read the full Quay trajectory →

Nautobot vs Quay: editorial side-by-side

N
Nautobot
INFRA · APIS
5.0

Nautobot 3.3 alpha 2 adds test helpers and a cable location filter after 3.2.9's token-leak fix.

◆ Current state

Nautobot's 3.2 and 2.4 lines still ship same-day security releases every two weeks; on November 9 v3.2.9 and v2.4.46 fixed a flaw where the Export Object List job let users read other users' API token keys. The 3.3 feature line opened the same day with REST API rate limiting and JSON and YAML exports. v3.3.0a2 on November 13 mostly adds Playwright helpers for App test suites, along with a location filter on the cable connection form and a fix for a login page that reloaded every 15 seconds.

◆ Where it's heading

3.3 is moving through alphas quickly, four days apart, while the security audit continues on the stable lines. The Playwright helpers suggest Nautobot wants App developers to test against its UI with shared tooling rather than custom scripts.

◆ Prediction

More 3.3 alphas or a beta should follow within weeks, alongside the next pair of 3.2.x and 2.4.x security releases on the two-week rhythm.

Q
Quay
INFRA · APIS
5.0

Quay patches three supported lines on one afternoon, mostly CVE bumps.

◆ Current state

Quay's enterprise lines ship paired monthly security releases. On November 13 three lines moved within minutes: 3.14.10, 3.12.24 and 3.10.28, each bumping PyJWT, cryptography, pillow, oauthlib and other pinned libraries for CVEs, plus a fix for an onboarding issue. The mirror-registry installer tagged v3.0.0 on November 9 with only dependency bumps noted.

◆ Where it's heading

Quay's public changelog is now maintenance only: CVE pins backported to every supported line and build files aligned for Red Hat's ART pipeline. No user-facing features have shipped on these lines in recent months.

◆ Prediction

Expect the next set of paired CVE releases around mid-December; nothing in the entries points to a feature release.

Alternatives to Nautobot and Quay

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 Nautobot or Quay.

See all Nautobot alternatives → · See all Quay alternatives →

Recent activity from Nautobot and Quay

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

  1. 16h agoNautobotv3.3.0a2: Playwright test helpers and a cable location filter
  2. 20h agoQuayQuay 3.10.28 backports November CVE fixes to LTS
  3. 20h agoQuayQuay 3.12.24 patches PyJWT, pillow and other CVEs
  4. 20h agoQuayQuay 3.14.10 rolls up CVE fixes and RHEL 8 builds
  5. 4d agoNautobotv3.3.0a1: API rate limits, unassigned primary IPs, JSON/YAML export
  6. 4d agoQuaymirror-registry 3.0.0 tagged with only a dependency bump noted
  7. 4d agoNautobotv3.2.9: users could read other users' API token keys
  8. 4d agoNautobotv2.4.46: API token key leak and sensitive-field bypasses fixed
  9. 17d agoNautobotv3.2.8: object-visibility fixes, stored XSS and permission helpers
  10. 17d agoNautobotv2.4.45: visibility and XSS fixes reach the 2.4 line
  11. 1mo agoQuayQuay 3.12.23 patches four CVEs and adds ART build file
  12. 1mo agoQuayQuay 3.10.27 backports October CVE fixes to LTS

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between Nautobot and Quay?

Both compete on the same themes — security — within Infra & APIs. Nautobot and Quay are shipping at a similar cadence (velocity 5.0 vs 5.0, both within Sparkpulse's "active" band). See the at-a-glance table above for a side-by-side breakdown of velocity, recent sparks, and editorial themes.

Is Nautobot better than Quay?

Sparkpulse doesn't pick a winner — we score release velocity, not feature parity. Nautobot and Quay are shipping at a similar cadence (velocity 5.0 vs 5.0, both within Sparkpulse's "active" band). For your specific use case, the alternatives sections above list other Infra & APIs products to evaluate alongside.

What are the best alternatives to Nautobot?

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

What are the best alternatives to Quay?

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