head to head · open source
osv-scanner vs emba
osv-scanner has 11,061 GitHub stars, 794 forks, 113 open issues and last shipped yesterday. emba has 3,672 stars, 325 forks, 13 open issues and last shipped 2 days ago. osv-scanner leads on adoption by 201% (11,061 vs 3,672 stars). osv-scanner is written in Go under Apache-2.0; emba is written in Shell under GPL-3.0. osv-scanner has attracted 7% as many forks as stars, emba 9%. osv-scanner was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee.
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
| osv-scanner | emba | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 11K | ★ 3.7K |
| License | Apache-2.0 | GPL-3.0 |
| Written in | Go | Shell |
| Last push | 2026-09-19 | 2026-09-18 |
| Forks | ⑂ 794 | ⑂ 325 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick osv-scanner if
- You weight community size — 11K 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 emba if
- You want the emba feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the GPL-3.0 license terms
- Your stack matches Shell
- You evaluated both and emba fits your workflow better
About osv-scanner
OSV Scanner is an Apache 2.0 licensed vulnerability scanner written in Go that connects a project's list of dependencies with the vulnerabilities affecting them, using data from the open OSV.dev database, and it is aimed at developers, maintainers, and security teams who need to find known vulnerabilities in the dependencies they already ship.
read the full osv-scanner overview →
About emba
EMBA is the open source security analyzer for firmware of embedded devices, a Shell based command line tool that carries penetration testers, product security teams, developers and product managers from firmware extraction through static analysis, emulation based dynamic analysis and SBOM creation to a web based vulnerability report.
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Frequently asked questions
Is osv-scanner or emba more popular?
osv-scanner has 11,061 GitHub stars and emba has 3,672. osv-scanner has the larger community by that measure.
Are osv-scanner and emba free?
Both are open source. osv-scanner is licensed under Apache-2.0 and emba under GPL-3.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between osv-scanner and emba?
osv-scanner is written in Go and emba in Shell. The practical differences are community size, licence terms, language stack and release cadence — all compared in the table above.
Which should I choose, osv-scanner or emba?
Choose osv-scanner if you want the larger community (11,061 stars) or its Apache-2.0 licence terms. Choose emba if its feature set, stack or GPL-3.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.