CleanStart vs. Chainguard

CleanStart offers a comprehensive solution for ensuring secure container images and fortifying software supply chain security, equipping organizations with lightweight and resilient base images free from vulnerabilities, which serve as a dependable foundation for the development, deployment, and operation of modern software while promoting enhanced safety and adherence to regulatory standards. By steering clear of generic distributions that frequently contain known vulnerabilities, CleanStart delivers images with near-zero CVEs, which greatly minimizes the attack surface by removing unnecessary components and embedding security features from the beginning, thus speeding up release cycles and alleviating the challenges of ongoing patching and remediation. Each image provided by CleanStart is subject to ongoing validation through signed attestations and Software Bill of Materials (SBOMs) that outline the origins of components, their provenance, and details about the build environment, thereby offering teams cryptographically verifiable evidence of their container contents, which is vital for auditing, compliance, and effective risk management. In addition, this method not only safeguards the software supply chain but also encourages a culture of accountability and transparency within the organization, ultimately leading to greater trust and collaboration among teams. Such an approach ensures that security is embedded into the software development lifecycle from the outset, fostering an environment where security best practices are prioritized and maintained.

Chainguard Containers are a curated catalog of minimal, zero-CVE container images backed by a leading CVE remediation SLA—7 days for critical vulnerabilities, and 14 days for high, medium, and low severities—helping teams build and ship software more securely. Contemporary software development and deployment pipelines demand secure, continuously updated containerized workloads for cloud-native environments. Chainguard delivers minimal images built entirely from source using fortified build infrastructure, including only the essential components required to build and run containers. Tailored for both engineering and security teams, Chainguard Containers reduce costly engineering effort associated with vulnerability management, strengthen application security by minimizing attack surface, and streamline compliance with key industry frameworks and customer expectations—ultimately helping unlock business value.