CH Checkov vs KY Kyverno
See how Checkov vs Kyverno stack up head-to-head. Compare real-world performance, pricing differences, and feature sets. Evaluate reviews and costs...
Quick Verdict
Checkov excels at core workflow integration; Kyverno wins on kubernetes admission control and regulatory compliance. Choose Checkov if you prioritize core workflow integration; choose Kyverno if you need kubernetes admission control and regulatory compliance.
Checkov vs Kyverno Feature Comparison
| Feature | Checkov | Kyverno |
|---|---|---|
| Kubernetes Admission Control | Not supported No | Supported Yes Core feature: K8s admission controller |
| Regulatory Compliance | Not supported No | Supported Yes Pre-built policies for Pod Security Standards |
| Infrastructure Policy | Not supported No | Not supported No Kubernetes-only, no Terraform integration |
| Cost Estimation | Not supported No | Not supported No Not a cost estimation tool |
| Policy as Code | Not supported No | Supported Yes YAML-based policies (no Rego needed) |
| Audit Mode | Not supported No | Supported Yes Audit mode for reporting |
| Enforce Mode | Not supported No | Supported Yes Enforce mode for blocking |
| Custom Policies | Not supported No | Supported Yes Validate, mutate, generate, and verify image policies |
| CI/CD Integration | Not supported No | Supported Yes CI/CD via Kyverno CLI |
| Policy Reporting | Not supported No | Supported Yes PolicyReport CRD for compliance reporting |
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About Checkov
Disclosure: We may earn a commission if you click any of these links and make a purchase, at no additional cost to you. This does not influence our reviews.
Checkov by Bridgecrew is a static analysis tool for scanning infrastructure as code (IaC) for security misconfigurations. Supports Terraform, CloudFormation, Kubernetes, Dockerfile, ARM templates, Serverless, and Ansible. Includes 1000+ built-in policies for CIS, SOC2, PCI-DSS, and HIPAA compliance. Integrates with CI/CD and IDE.
About Kyverno
Disclosure: We may earn a commission if you click any of these links and make a purchase, at no additional cost to you. This does not influence our reviews.
Kyverno is a CNCF graduated Kubernetes-native policy engine that validates, mutates, and generates resources using YAML-based policies (no Rego required). Features: validate/mutate/generate/verify image policies, background scanning, policy reports, and audit/enforce modes. Easier to learn than OPA for teams already comfortable with Kubernetes YAML.
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