Open-source software (OSS) software composition analysis (SCA) tools are specialized solutions designed to analyze an application's open-source components and dependencies. These tools help security uncover vulnerabilities, licensing compliance issues, and potential risks linked to the use of external libraries and frameworks. By providing visibility into the components used in a project, OSS SCA tools help organizations address potential security and compliance issues before they can be exploited.
In this article, we’ll review the top OSS SCA tools, highlighting their features, strengths, and integration capabilities. With these valuable insights, you’ll be able to choose the best tool for your unique business needs. First, let’s take a closer look at everything OSS SCA tools bring to the table.
CI/CD Pipeline Security Best Practices [Cheat Sheet]
In this 13 page cheat sheet we'll cover best practices in the following areas of the CI/CD pipeline: Infrastructure security, code security, secrets management, access and authentication, monitoring and response.
Download Cheat Sheet
Key benefits of OSS SCA tools
Security vulnerability detection: By identifying known vulnerabilities in open-source components, OSS SCA tools fend off security breaches.
License compliance: Open-source software SCA solutions are vital for ensuring compliance with relevant licenses across all open-source components, helping organizations mitigate legal and operational risks.
Risk management: OSS SCA tools provide critical insights into the overall risk profile of an application's software composition. By identifying vulnerabilities and compliance issues, these tools enable proactive risk management, allowing organizations to address potential threats before they escalate and ensuring a more secure software development lifecycle.
Automation and efficiency: Automating the process of identifying and managing open-source risks saves time and resources, streamlining workflows and reducing the manual effort required. This efficiency both speeds up the development process and helps organizations respond swiftly to potential vulnerabilities and compliance issues.
Integration with CI/CD pipelines: OSS SCA tools integrate seamlessly with continuous integration/continuous deployment (CI/CD) pipelines, enabling end-to-end monitoring and compliance. With CI/CD integration, teams are alerted to vulnerabilities in third-party components early, allowing them to patch or update dependencies before any security issues reach production.
Dependency updates: Many OSS SCA tools automatically track and update outdated libraries, ensuring that projects stay up-to-date with the latest versions of dependencies in order to reduce technical debt and minimize the security risk posed by older, unsupported versions of open-source software.
The top 5 OSS software composition analysis tools
1. OWASP Dependency-Check
OWASP Dependency-Check is a powerful open-source tool designed to detect vulnerabilities in project dependencies across a wide range of package managers and programming languages. Aligned with OWASP standards, it’s a trusted solution among developers and security teams for its strong community backing and adherence to industry best practices. Dependency-Check not only identifies known vulnerabilities but also provides detailed remediation guidance through its comprehensive vulnerability reports.
With access to an extensive vulnerability database, it seamlessly integrates with commonly used CI/CD tools like Jenkins and GitLab CI. Available as a command-line tool or as a build script integration, Dependency-Check is a flexible and reliable way to secure open-source components throughout the development process.
2. Retire.Js
Retire.js is a security composition analysis tool designed to scan JavaScript codebases (including both frontend and backend applications) for known vulnerabilities in third-party libraries. By identifying outdated or insecure dependencies, Retire.js helps developers mitigate security risks early in the development cycle. Its simple command-line interface and integration with CI/CD pipelines make it easy to automate vulnerability detection, ensuring that libraries are up-to-date and secure.
In addition to its core functionality, Retire.js also provides a browser extension for client-side vulnerability detection, allowing security testers to analyze websites for insecure JavaScript libraries directly from the browser. It continuously updates its vulnerability database from sources like the CVE list, ensuring it identifies the latest security threats.
While it’s highly effective for JavaScript environments, it’s important to remember that Retire.js focuses solely on JavaScript libraries, so it should be complemented with other tools for full-stack security coverage in multi-language projects.
3. ScanCode
ScanCode is an open-source tool that specializes in analyzing the licensing, copyright, and vulnerability information of codebases and their dependencies. Designed to provide comprehensive details about software composition, it scans source code and binaries to detect licenses, extract copyright notices, and identify vulnerabilities in open-source components.
One of its standout features is its ability to perform detailed license compliance checks, ensuring that developers are aware of any legal obligations associated with the libraries they use. ScanCode supports a wide range of programming languages and package formats, making it a versatile solution for developers managing large, multi-language projects.
Beyond vulnerability detection, ScanCode’s modular architecture allows users to customize the tool for specific use cases, and it integrates with CI/CD pipelines to automate scanning. While it excels in license and copyright detection, ScanCode’s vulnerability scanning is somewhat limited compared to other tools, making it better suited for teams focused on compliance rather than strictly security.
4. FOSSA
FOSSA automates both license compliance and vulnerability management, offering real-time scanning and monitoring of open-source dependencies. Its governance features enable comprehensive policy enforcement, ensuring that organizations stay aligned with legal and compliance requirements.
FOSSA's intuitive interface provides clear, actionable insights. And with continuous monitoring and real-time alerts, FOSSA integrates seamlessly with CI/CD pipelines, version control systems (VCS), and cloud platforms. It also offers SDKs and APIs for custom integrations, allowing for a highly flexible, tailored solution for enterprise software environments.
5. Sonatype Lifecycle
Sonatype Lifecycle delivers advanced vulnerability detection paired with policy-driven governance, continuous monitoring, and automated remediation, offering detailed insights into the health and risk of open-source components. With a strong emphasis on lifecycle management and governance, it boasts extensive policy management capabilities that enhance compliance and security. Another great feature? Lifecycle’s deep integration with CI/CD pipelines and DevOps environments ensure seamless support across a variety of development processes and cloud platforms.
| Tool | Vulnerability detection | License compliance | Integration options | Unique strengths |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| OWASP Dependency-Check | High | Moderate | Good | Strong alignment with OWASP standards |
| Retire.Js | Very high (JavaScript only) | Low | Good | Specialized in detecting vulnerabilities in JavaScript libraries |
| ScanCode Toolkit | Medium | Very high | Good | Exceptional for detailed license and copyright detection, offering granular legal insights |
| FOSSA | High | Very high | Good | Strong legal risk management |
| Sonatype Lifecycle | Very high | High | Excellent | Advanced lifecycle management |
Choosing the right OSS SCA tool
Factors to consider
Project size: Smaller projects may benefit from lightweight tools like OWASP Dependency-Check. In comparison, larger projects often require more comprehensive solutions such as Sonatype Lifecycle to manage complexity effectively.
Team expertise: Teams with limited security expertise might prefer user-friendly tools that provide automated fixes and actionable insights, making it easier to manage open-source risks.
Integration needs: Evaluate how well the tool integrates with your software development lifecycle and existing development tools for a seamless workflow.
License compliance: If license compliance is a critical concern, consider FOSSA, which provides robust policy management and legal risk mitigation features to safeguard your organization.
DevOps Security Best Practices [Cheat Sheet]
In this 12 page cheat sheet we'll cover best practices in the following areas of DevOps: secure coding practices, infrastructure security, monitoring and response.
Download Cheat Sheet
Recommendations based on different scenarios
Small to medium-sized teams: For teams looking for ease of use and seamless integration, OWASP Dependency-Check is an excellent choice. It offers user-friendly interfaces and automated processes that help streamline open-source risk management without overwhelming smaller teams.
Enterprise-level teams: For larger organizations requiring comprehensive security and compliance management, Sonatype Lifecycle is highly recommended. It provides in-depth vulnerability detection, policy management, and continuous monitoring, ensuring that enterprise-level applications meet rigorous security standards.
Focus on license compliance: If license compliance is a primary concern, consider FOSSA. With robust license management and features that help mitigate legal risks, FOSSA is ideal for organizations that prioritize adherence to open-source licensing requirements.
Conclusion
Open-source SCA tools have a lot to offer. But you’re not going to get every feature you need in just one OSS SCA tool. Enter Wiz.
As new risks emerge, Wiz Code is a top choice for software composition analysis. It offers deep visibility into all software components, including open-source and transitive dependencies, allowing teams to prioritize vulnerabilities that pose real risks in runtime environments. Wiz Code’s SBOM generator ensure full transparency of the software supply chain, helping manage vulnerabilities and license compliance effectively.
Wiz Code is a unified security solution that helps developers and security teams secure code from development to deployment. With features like code-to-cloud mapping, infrastructure-as-code scanning, secrets detection, malware scanning, and sensitive data identification, Wiz Code ensures proactive risk mitigation. Here are some other core capabilities:
Integration with CI/CD pipelines
In-depth software composition analysis
Generation of software bills of materials (SBOMs)
Real-time risk assessment through the Wiz Runtime Sensor
Wiz prioritizes the most critical issues at a glance, empowering teams to focus on risks that matter.
The bottom line? With seamless integration into developer tools like IDEs and CI/CD pipelines, our all-in-one solution simplifies remediation by providing real-time, actionable insights. By addressing vulnerabilities early in the development process and unifying security from code to cloud, Wiz empowers teams to maintain a secure and compliant codebase.
Want to see for yourself how Wiz can protect everything you build and run in the cloud? Schedule a demo today.
Secure your cloud from code to production
Learn why CISOs at the fastest growing companies trust Wiz to accelerate secure cloud development.
