head to head · open source
osv-scanner vs npq
osv-scanner has 11,098 GitHub stars, 800 forks, 113 open issues and last shipped yesterday. npq has 1,796 stars, 43 forks, 7 open issues and last shipped 1 months ago. osv-scanner leads on adoption by 518% (11,098 vs 1,796 stars). osv-scanner is written in Go under Apache-2.0; npq is written in JavaScript under Apache-2.0. osv-scanner has attracted 7% as many forks as stars, npq 2%. osv-scanner was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 2 topic tags (security-audit, security-tools), 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
| osv-scanner | npq | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 11K | ★ 1.8K |
| License | Apache-2.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Written in | Go | JavaScript |
| Last push | 2026-09-27 | 2026-08-25 |
| Forks | ⑂ 800 | ⑂ 43 |
| 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 npq if
- You want the npq feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the Apache-2.0 license terms
- Your stack matches JavaScript
- You evaluated both and npq 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 npq
npq is a command line security tool that audits npm packages before they are installed, aimed at Node.js developers and supply chain security teams who want a pre install checkpoint rather than discovering a malicious or vulnerable dependency after its install scripts have already run.
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Frequently asked questions
Is osv-scanner or npq more popular?
osv-scanner has 11,098 GitHub stars and npq has 1,796. osv-scanner has the larger community by that measure.
Are osv-scanner and npq free?
Both are open source. osv-scanner is licensed under Apache-2.0 and npq under Apache-2.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between osv-scanner and npq?
osv-scanner is written in Go and npq in JavaScript. 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 npq?
Choose osv-scanner if you want the larger community (11,098 stars) or its Apache-2.0 licence terms. Choose npq if its feature set, stack or Apache-2.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.