head to head · open source
kubernetes vs trivy
kubernetes has 128,842 GitHub stars, 45,758 forks, 3,072 open issues and last shipped 2 days ago. trivy has 38,915 stars, 818 forks, 269 open issues and last shipped 2 days ago. kubernetes leads on adoption by 231% (128,842 vs 38,915 stars). kubernetes is written in Go under Apache-2.0; trivy is written in Go under Apache-2.0. kubernetes has attracted 36% as many forks as stars, trivy 2%. kubernetes was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 3 topic tags (containers, go, kubernetes), so they are genuine substitutes rather than adjacent tools.
Two open source projects, one decision. Both are free and self-hostable — the differences are community size, license terms, language stack and release pace.
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Side by side
| kubernetes | trivy | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 129K | ★ 39K |
| License | Apache-2.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Written in | Go | Go |
| Last push | 2026-11-02 | 2026-11-02 |
| Forks | ⑂ 46K | ⑂ 818 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick kubernetes if
- You weight community size — 129K stars and counting
- You want the Apache-2.0 license terms
- Your stack matches Go
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick trivy if
- You want the trivy feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the Apache-2.0 license terms
- Your stack matches Go
- You evaluated both and trivy fits your workflow better
About kubernetes
Kubernetes (K8s) Kubernetes, also known as K8s, is an open source system for managing [containerized applications] across multiple hosts. It provides basic mechanisms for the deployment, maintenance, and scaling of applications. Kubernetes builds upon a decade and a half of experience at Google running production workloads at scale using a system called [Borg], combined with best of breed ideas and practices from the community. Kubernetes is hosted by the Cloud Native Computing Foundation ([CNCF]). If your company wants to help shape the evolution of technologies that are container packaged, dynamically…
read the full kubernetes overview →
About trivy
[![GitHub Release][release img]][release] [![Test][test img]][test] [![Go Report Card][go report img]][go report] [![License: Apache 2.0][license img]][license] [![GitHub Downloads][github downloads img]][release] ![Docker Pulls][docker pulls] [📖 Documentation][docs] Trivy ([pronunciation][pronunciation]) is a comprehensive and versatile security scanner. Trivy has scanners that look for security issues, and targets where it can find those issues. Targets (what Trivy can scan): Container Image Filesystem Git Repository (remote) Virtual Machine Image Kubernetes Scanners (what Trivy can find there): OS packages…
read the full trivy overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is kubernetes or trivy more popular?
kubernetes has 128,842 GitHub stars and trivy has 38,915. kubernetes has the larger community by that measure.
Are kubernetes and trivy free?
Both are open source. kubernetes is licensed under Apache-2.0 and trivy under Apache-2.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between kubernetes and trivy?
kubernetes is written in Go and trivy in Go. The practical differences are community size, licence terms, language stack and release cadence — all compared in the table above.
Which should I choose, kubernetes or trivy?
Choose kubernetes if you want the larger community (128,842 stars) or its Apache-2.0 licence terms. Choose trivy if its feature set, stack or Apache-2.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.