RunSafe Identify versus Syft

Syft is a useful open source tool for containers and modern app stacks. But embedded and firmware teams tend to hit its limits fast.

RunSafe Identify generates SBOMs at build-time, capturing what actually gets built into the binary. No package manager required.

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See comparison table ⬇️

RunSafe versus Syft

RunSafe Identify

Syft

When the SBOM Is Generated

Build-time

Generates the SBOM during compilation, capturing exactly what gets built into the binary—not a guess based on what's declared.

Post-build

Scans filesystems, container images, or archives after the fact. Results depend on what package managers declared, not what the linker actually pulled in.

Language & Ecosystem Focus

Built specifically for embedded codebases, including C/C++ projects that don't use a package manager. Tracks static and dynamic libraries at the compiler level.

Supports dozens of package ecosystems across modern languages. C/C++ projects typically do not use package managers, so Syft falls back to OS-level detection and binary fingerprinting, which misses most application-level dependencies.

Embedded & Firmware Support

Designed from the ground up for embedded systems. Supports bare metal, RTOS environments (VxWorks, FreeRTOS, QNX, Green Hills), Yocto, Buildroot, and others.

Built for containers and standard Linux filesystems. RTOS and bare metal environments fall outside its design. Running it against firmware or a custom embedded build system typically returns limited results.

Vulnerability Identification

Powered by 400+ vulnerability data sources. Maps software components to known vulnerabilities, and provides vulnerability triage sync, KEV data, and daily vulnerability updates.

Syft generates SBOMs only. Vulnerability scanning requires pairing with Grype, a separate tool. That adds another integration to configure and maintain.

License Compliance

Detects licenses at the file level during the build. Set policies to automatically block or flag restricted licenses (e.g., copyleft) before code merges or ships.

Surfaces license information for components it finds. No built-in policy engine to block or flag specific licenses in a pipeline. Enforcement requires additional tooling.

SBOM Format & Standards

Outputs CycloneDX SBOMs and includes all mandatory NTIA fields. Suited for FDA, EU CRA, and similar regulatory requirements.

Upload and scan SBOMs from third-party software, supplier-provided SBOMs, or other externally generated artifacts.

Outputs SPDX and CycloneDX. What those SBOMs contain depends on what the scan found. Accuracy gaps in C/C++ and firmware environments can make the output hard to rely on for formal submissions.

CI/CD Integration

Integrates with GitLab and GitHub, with AzureDevOps, Bitbucket, and Jenkins coming soon.

Integrates directly into the build pipeline.

CLI-based tool that can run as a pipeline step. Works well in container-focused CI workflows.

Air-Gapped / Offline Deployment

Offers an on-prem SBOM solution. Built for defense and industrial customers where disconnected networks are the norm.

Runs offline for basic scanning. Vulnerability database updates and tool maintenance fall on the team running it. No enterprise support or managed deployment.

Why Teams Choose RunSafe

Embedded software teams often struggle to create SBOMs that are accurate, current, and useful. Open source scanners built for containers and modern app stacks rely on package managers to find dependencies. Most embedded C/C++ projects do not use them.

When teams run Syft against embedded codebases, they typically get back incomplete component lists, false positives from libraries that were never compiled in, or nothing at all.

RunSafe Identify gives teams build-time visibility into what they actually ship.

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Built for
Embedded Systems

Designed for C/C++, custom toolchains, cross-compiled firmware, and environments without package managers.



SBOMs Generated
from the Build

Captures software composition during the build process, not after critical context has already been lost.



Less Manual
Cleanup

Helps teams reduce spreadsheet-based SBOM work, false positives, and time-consuming validation.

RunSafe Is Built for Embedded Teams

RunSafe Identify fits into the workflows embedded teams already use, including complex build environments, CI/CD pipelines, custom toolchains, and regulated software development processes.

View supported platforms and integrations.

Linux

Yocto

Buildroot

VxWorks

QNX

FreeRTOS

Green Hills

Windows

Try RunSafe Identify Today

Generate accurate SBOMs at build time, reduce manual validation, and get the software visibility your team needs for vulnerability management, license compliance, and customer requests.