Open Source Compliance
Compliance is not a certificate you earn once; it is the ongoing job of proving that controls actually operate, with evidence you can produce the moment an auditor asks. That evidence comes from two directions: frameworks that map requirements to controls and store the approvals behind them, and scanners that check running systems and code against those controls on a schedule. Open source tools cover both, and they keep the resulting records - control status, scan results, policy decisions, and audit logs - inside systems you host and can export from cleanly. Your audit trail stays under your control rather than stranded in a platform you have to keep paying to read.
Trivy
All-in-one security scanner for containers, code, and Kubernetes
ZITADEL
Open-source identity infrastructure for SSO, MFA, passkeys, OIDC, SAML, and SCIM
Prowler
Open-source cloud security platform for automated checks, compliance frameworks, and multi-cloud assessments
Checkov
Static analysis that catches misconfigurations in infrastructure as code
CloudQuery
Cloud asset inventory and data pipeline tool for syncing cloud config, security, and FinOps data
CISO Assistant
Open source GRC platform for risk, compliance, audit, privacy, and reporting
ComplianceAsCode
Security policy content in SCAP, Ansible, Bash, and CEL for compliance automation
konstruktoid Hardening
Ubuntu Server hardening scripts for systemd systems with UFW, auditd, and kernel module controls
Comp AI
Open-source compliance platform for SOC 2, ISO 27001, HIPAA, and GDPR with AI agents and 580+ integrations
Our picks
Compliance spans program management and technical scanning, so these cover both sides.
All-in-one GRC platform: CISO Assistant CISO Assistant centralizes risk, compliance, audit, and reporting with smart linking between objects. It ships 150+ frameworks with automatic control mapping, so one piece of evidence can satisfy several standards, and loads custom frameworks from Excel or YAML. The AGPLv3 community edition self-hosts with Docker.
Scanner for containers and code: Trivy Trivy scans container images, filesystems, Git repositories, VM images, and live Kubernetes clusters for vulnerabilities, misconfigurations, exposed secrets, and risky licenses, and generates an SBOM from any target. Individual scanners toggle on and off for focused runs, and it plugs into GitHub Actions.
Cloud and multi-framework assessment: Prowler Prowler runs hundreds of checks across AWS, Azure, GCP, and Kubernetes, then maps results to frameworks like CIS, NIST, PCI-DSS, HIPAA, SOC2, and ISO 27001. A ThreatScore weights risk so teams act on what matters first, and everything runs in your own environment.
Infrastructure-as-code guardrail: Checkov Checkov applies over 1000 policies to Terraform, CloudFormation, Kubernetes, Helm, and Dockerfiles through a graph engine, catching misconfigurations at build time before they reach the cloud. It detects secrets and exports to SARIF, CycloneDX, and JSON for CI pipelines.
Fitting the tool to your compliance program
Two different jobs hide under the word compliance, and conflating them is how teams end up with a tool that only does half of what they needed. Framework-driven GRC platforms such as CISO Assistant, Openlane, and Probo manage the program side: mapping requirements from ISO 27001, SOC 2, or NIST to controls, tracking risks, and storing the evidence and approvals an auditor will ask for. Scanners such as Trivy, Checkov, and Prowler work the technical side, checking container images, infrastructure-as-code, and cloud accounts against security baselines. Most organizations need one of each, so name the more urgent gap before comparing features.
For the GRC layer, weight how frameworks and evidence are handled. Look for automatic control mapping across standards so a single piece of evidence can satisfy several frameworks at once, which CISO Assistant does with its 150+ built-in frameworks, and for exportable decision records that stand on their own during customer review or diligence. If your team is engineering-led, an API-first platform like Probo, reachable through a CLI and a GraphQL API, keeps compliance work in the same tools as the code it governs instead of a separate silo.
For the scanning layer, match coverage to your release path. Checkov reads Terraform, Kubernetes, and other infrastructure definitions before they reach production, Trivy scans images, filesystems, and live clusters for vulnerabilities, misconfigurations, and license issues, and Prowler assesses running cloud accounts against frameworks like CIS and PCI-DSS. Whichever layer you start with, confirm that findings, policy exceptions, and audit history export in standard formats, because compliance evidence often outlives the tool that produced it.
Related categories
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between a GRC platform and a compliance scanner?+
A GRC platform manages the program: it maps a framework like SOC 2 or ISO 27001 to controls, tracks risks, and stores the evidence and approvals auditors want. CISO Assistant and Openlane sit here. A scanner instead inspects real systems against technical baselines. Trivy checks container images and code, Checkov checks infrastructure definitions, and Prowler checks cloud accounts. The first tells you what you must prove; the second helps you actually check it.
Can one tool cover several frameworks at once?+
Yes, and that is the main reason to use a GRC platform rather than spreadsheets. CISO Assistant ships 150+ frameworks with automatic control mapping, so a single control or piece of evidence can satisfy overlapping requirements across ISO 27001, NIST CSF, SOC 2, and others at the same time. Openlane carries pre-built programs for SOC 2, ISO 27001, NIST 800-53, and GDPR. Both let you load custom frameworks, CISO Assistant from Excel or YAML.
Which of these can generate an SBOM for shipped software?+
Trivy generates an SBOM from any target it scans, whether a container image, filesystem, or repository, alongside its vulnerability and license findings. Checkov adds software composition analysis and can export in CycloneDX format. If you ship software to customers, verify the supported formats and whether license conclusions are included or only raw component data, then test that your customers' procurement systems can actually consume the output.
Where in the development process should compliance checks run?+
Run fast checks early and deeper scans later. Checkov is built to catch infrastructure misconfigurations at build time, in pull requests or CI, before flawed infrastructure ever reaches the cloud. Trivy and Prowler can run heavier scans against release candidates, container images, or live cloud accounts where the full picture is known. Keep fast feedback separate from formal approval, because if every scan is slow or noisy, teams will route around it.
Do I have to send my source code or cloud data to a hosted service?+
No. Most tools here run entirely in your own environment. Trivy, Checkov, Prowler, and Legitify are command-line scanners that never need to upload code, and platforms like CISO Assistant, Probo, and ISMS Builder self-host with Docker so data stays on your server. For proprietary code this is the safer default. If you use a hosted edition, check exactly what code, manifests, and metadata leave your infrastructure and how long it is retained.
Which tools target SOC 2 and ISO 27001 specifically?+
Several. Comp AI automates evidence collection and policy management for SOC 2, ISO 27001, HIPAA, and GDPR. Openlane ships pre-built programs for SOC 2 and ISO 27001. For ISO 27001 in particular, Deming manages an ISMS around the ISO 27001 performance-assessment work, and ISMS Builder covers the lifecycle from policy authoring to audit evidence. Note that some, like ISMS Builder, require you to import licensed ISO control text yourself.
Can a single scanner check both cloud misconfiguration and framework compliance?+
Prowler is built for exactly that overlap. It runs hundreds of security checks across AWS, Azure, GCP, Kubernetes, GitHub, and M365, then maps findings to customizable frameworks including CIS, NIST, PCI-DSS, HIPAA, SOC2, and ISO 27001, with a ThreatScore to prioritize risk. So one run gives you both technical findings and a framework-aligned report. Everything runs in your own environment against your accounts.