pkg.sopackage field notes

brew / rank 4433

Install clair with Homebrew

Vulnerability Static Analysis for Containers. Version 4.8.0 via Homebrew; verified 2026-07-27.

install

Additional install commands

macOS

Homebrewverified · 100%
brew install clair

provider-native install command

overview

Package summary

Vulnerability Static Analysis for Containers

Commands and aliases

  • clair

history

Project history and usage

Clair is Quay's open source service for static analysis of vulnerabilities in application container images, including OCI and Docker images. It is notable in package-manager culture because it made vulnerability metadata, image indexing, and registry-side security scanning part of the ordinary container toolchain.

Project history

The public repository was created in November 2015 and its README describes the project goal as making container-based infrastructure more transparent. Clair later evolved into the v4 architecture documented in the Clair book, with separate indexer, matcher, notifier, and combo operating modes configured by YAML or JSON.

Adoption history

Clair is distributed as a Homebrew formula and appears in other package sets in the supplied input, while its README also points users to stable GitHub releases and a Quay container image. Its adoption path is tied to container registries and CI systems that need image vulnerability matching against known vulnerability feeds.

How it is used

Clients use the Clair API to index container images and match indexed contents against vulnerability data. Operators run Clair with a structured configuration file, commonly under /etc/clair, and select a service mode such as indexer, matcher, notifier, or combo.

Why package nerds care

Clair matters to package nerds because it connects OS-package and language-package vulnerability databases to container layers. It sits at the point where package manifests, distribution advisories, OCI images, and registry policy meet.

Timeline

  • 2015: Public GitHub repository created and initial public release v0.0.1 published.
  • 2016: v1 releases established Clair as a container vulnerability analysis service.
  • 2020: Clair v4 line documented a service-oriented architecture with indexer, matcher, and notifier modes.
  • 2024: v4.7.0 added documented drop-in configuration file support.
  • 2025: v4.9.0 release published.

Related projects

  • Related projects include Quay, OCI image tooling, Docker image tooling, vulnerability databases consumed by Clair matchers, and other image scanners such as Trivy and Grype.

security posture

Risk level: orange

infrastructure mutation or orchestration signal.

Risk classifier

orange risk · medium confidence · infrastructure

Why

  • infrastructure mutation or orchestration signal

Signals

  • text:container

Install behavior

  • No Homebrew bottle metadata was recorded.

Recommended review

Before unattended agent use, check whether the tool reads plaintext credentials, writes remote state, publishes artifacts, or shells out to plugins.

local files

Configuration and credential file locations

These source-backed paths show where this package keeps local settings or durable credentials. Automic Vault can use them as review targets for secret scanning, migration, and command approval.

Configuration files

Config paths the tool may read or write during local use.

Unix
/etc/clair/config.yaml/etc/clair/config.json

executables

Installed executables

CommandKindExposureNote
clairexecutableindexed executableDiscovered from the local executable index.

freshness

Version and freshness

These signals separate page generation age, package-manager activity, and upstream release comparison. Version lag is warned only when an evidence URL and comparable versions are present.

page generated2026-08-03
manager version4.8.0
manager updated2026-07-27
local dataunknown
upstreamnot available
latest detectednot detected
  • okNo freshness warnings were generated.

install metadata

Package metadata

Package keybrew:clair
Version4.8.0
Package managerHomebrew
Homepagehttps://quay.github.io/clair/
Repositoryhttps://github.com/quay/clair
Last updated2026-07-27T22:04:00+02:00
Pulseupdated
Bottlenot recorded
Servicenone declared

source trail

Generated from repository data

This page is generated by av-web from the private package SQLite artifact built by scripts/generate-pkg-sqlite.py.

Used sources

  • Geiger risk classifier
  • Nucleus package database
  • curated configuration and credential file locations
  • curated package history
  • pkgdb category and tag curation