Top 10 container scanning tools for 2025: Secure your containers and the apps they power

Containers have revolutionized how software is built, shipped, and deployed—but they’ve also introduced new risks. Every base image, open source library, and configuration file in your container ecosystem can expose critical vulnerabilities. That’s why container scanning tools are now essential for any serious application security strategy.

We’ve ranked the top container scanning tools for 2025 based on accuracy, integration capabilities, and real-world risk coverage. Leading the list is Invicti, the only solution that embeds container security into a full DAST-first platform to give you the big picture—and show which vulnerabilities carry the biggest risk.

1. Invicti

Invicti incorporates Container Security powered by Mend.io, but it isn’t just a container scanner—it’s a complete application security platform. Designed for enterprise-scale DevSecOps teams, Invicti makes container security one part of its broader, DAST-first approach. That means every container scan is contextualized within the real, running state of your applications.

Key Invicti features

• Integrated container and SCA scanning: Detect vulnerabilities in base images, packages, and dependencies.
• DAST-first validation: Find out which issues are actually exploitable in your live environments.
• Supports shift-left and shield-right: Scan early in CI/CD and monitor assets continuously after deployment.
• Centralized dashboards and compliance-ready reporting: Track issues, trends, and remediation progress across your environment.

By embedding container scanning into a broader dynamic security platform, Invicti helps security teams eliminate noise, streamline DevSecOps workflows, and scale real-world risk reduction.

See how Invicti handles container security

2. Snyk

Snyk is a developer-centric security platform known for its ease of use and tight CI/CD integrations. Its container scanning tool checks for vulnerabilities in Docker images and helps enforce base image policies.

Pros:

• Strong CLI and Git-based integrations
• Developer-friendly UI and fix recommendations
• Supports SBOM generation

Cons:

• No dynamic scanning capabilities
• Results are based solely on known CVEs

3. Aqua Trivy

Trivy is an open-source container scanner by Aqua Security. It’s fast, lightweight, and supports a wide range of artifacts, including Docker, Kubernetes, and IaC templates.

Pros:

• Free and easy to use
• Covers containers, SBOMs, and config files
• Integrates well with CI pipelines

Cons:

• Lacks advanced policy enforcement or correlation with runtime risk
• Best used alongside other tools for full coverage

4. Prisma Cloud by Palo Alto Networks

Prisma Cloud offers container scanning as part of a comprehensive cloud-native security platform. It focuses on security posture and runtime protection across Kubernetes and cloud environments.

Pros:

• Deep integration with cloud providers
• Supports compliance checks and infrastructure scanning
• Centralized visibility across workloads

Cons:

• Complex pricing and licensing
• Requires significant setup and tuning for optimal use

5. Anchore

Anchore provides SBOM-driven container scanning, policy enforcement, and compliance features. Anchore Engine and Grype are its core scanning tools, useful in CI/CD environments.

Pros:

• Open-source and enterprise options
• SBOM generation and policy-as-code capabilities
• Good CLI tooling

Cons:

• User interface can feel limited
• More focused on DevOps than broader application security

6. Qualys Container Security

Part of the broader Qualys Cloud Platform, this tool scans container images in registries and runtimes. It’s primarily suited for compliance-heavy environments.

Pros:

• Strong reporting and compliance dashboards
• Continuous runtime protection
• Integration with Qualys VMDR suite

Cons:

• Can be heavy and complex for lean teams
• Requires broader Qualys setup for full benefits

7. JFrog Xray

JFrog Xray scans containers and software artifacts for vulnerabilities and license issues. It integrates closely with JFrog Artifactory and other DevOps tools.

Pros:

• Deep artifact-level scanning
• Native to JFrog pipelines and ecosystems
• Policy-based enforcement

Cons:

• Requires use of JFrog stack to unlock full value
• Less suited for organizations outside JFrog ecosystem

8. Tenable Nessus/Tenable.cs

Tenable offers container scanning through its Nessus Pro and Tenable.cs products, focusing on security assessments for image registries and cloud workloads.

Pros:

• Known for vulnerability depth and audit coverage
• Registry integration and compliance reports

Cons:

• Manual-heavy workflow
• Not optimized for modern DevSecOps use cases

9. Docker Scout (formerly Docker Scan)

Docker Scout is Docker’s native vulnerability scanning tool, based on Snyk technology. It offers real-time insights into image risk and recommendations for base image upgrades.

Pros:

• Seamless Docker CLI integration
• Actionable image insights

Cons:

• Limited to Docker ecosystem
• Minimal customization or enterprise capabilities

10. Sysdig Secure

Sysdig offers runtime security and image scanning as part of its Kubernetes-native security suite. It focuses on detecting container drift and behavioral anomalies.

Pros:

• Strong runtime visibility
• Container behavior analytics
• Good for threat detection

Cons:

• Requires Kubernetes familiarity
• Focused more on runtime than pre-deployment scanning

What sets Invicti apart?

Most container scanning tools stop at finding vulnerabilities at the container level. Invicti goes further by confirming which of those vulnerabilities are actually exploitable in production apps. As part of a DAST-first platform, Invicti correlates container, SCA, and application-layer security testing data to surface only the risks that matter.

With unified dashboards, CI/CD integration, and proof-based validation, Invicti empowers security teams to secure containers, APIs, and apps from a single platform without slowing developers down.

Choosing the right container scanning tool

When evaluating container security solutions, consider:

• Coverage of base images, third-party packages, and infrastructure-as-code
• Support for SBOM and compliance requirements
• CI/CD integration and DevSecOps fit
• Ability to prioritize real risk with validation or runtime context

Tools like Trivy or Snyk are effective for early-stage scanning, while Invicti stands out by giving enterprise teams full-surface visibility—from containers to running apps—on a scalable, unified platform.

Secure your containers with proof, not guesswork

Container security is more than a checklist. It’s a foundational layer in modern application security—and Invicti delivers it as part of a platform built to scale, validate, and empower your AppSec team.

Schedule a demo to see how Invicti helps you reduce container risk with less noise, more proof, and full integration into your existing workflows.