DepWarden

Overview

DepWarden is a software composition analysis tool for developers and teams that need to assess dependency risk, scan code, and produce software-bill-of-materials outputs. It is best suited to users who want findings tied to remediation or CI workflows, rather than a report-only check. Its broad scanning and integration scope makes it a capable option, but teams should consider the limits on reachability analysis, hosted-region choice, and third-party assurance.

Key features

Dependency scans assess vulnerability, exploitability, supply-chain, package-health, and license data. DepWarden ranks findings using CISA KEV, FIRST EPSS, fix availability, and dependency depth, and provides copyable upgrade commands. That combination helps teams prioritize work and act on it; the absence of reachability analysis means it cannot distinguish vulnerable dependencies that are reachable in an application from those that are not.

DepWarden also combines SCA with SAST. It scans source code across 15 languages and infrastructure-as-code formats using more than 300 rules. Teams can import CycloneDX or SPDX SBOMs and export an SBOM, an OpenVEX document, and a NOTICE license file. These functions are useful for teams joining security checks with compliance workflows, although SAST and VEX are reserved for the Team tier.

Manifest, lockfile, and SBOM support covers npm, PyPI, Maven, Gradle, Go, RubyGems, Cargo, NuGet, Composer, Dart, and Swift. Pull request scanning and branch connections for GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket, and Azure DevOps bring checks into common repository workflows. Connected branches can receive scheduled email reports, and the service says repository tokens are not retained beyond a scan.

Build integrations include Maven, npm/yarn/pnpm, and GitHub Actions plugins. The npm CLI can also run in GitLab CI, Jenkins, CircleCI, and Azure Pipelines, giving teams multiple ways to add scanning to existing pipelines. Anonymous scans use an isolated session workspace; the service says it does not receive or store application source code or compiled binaries.

Pricing

The Free plan costs nothing and provides report-only scanning without an account or API key, with an HTML report. It cannot fail a build, so it suits individual checks but not teams that need an enforced CI gate.

Developer costs $19 a month, billed $19 / month ($190 / year). It covers one engineer and adds all report formats, build gating, and fix paths. This is the practical step up for a solo developer who needs scans to block builds, but its one-engineer scope does not fit a squad.

Team costs $99 a month, billed $99 / month ($990 / year). It is aimed at a squad and adds SAST, scheduled delivery, VEX, and IP-restricted keys. Business costs $399 a month, billed $399 / month ($3,990 / year); it targets an organization and adds high volume, report branding, and long retention. Enterprise uses custom pricing with contract terms and self-hosted or air-gapped deployment, making it the relevant option for organizations that need those deployment models.

Platforms

DepWarden supports API, Linux, macOS, Windows, web, and self-hosted use, with hybrid deployment options. The hosted service runs in Oracle Cloud Infrastructure's Mumbai region; EU and US data residency are not offered for hosted service. The trust page describes TLS with HSTS, salted password hashing, optional TOTP, role-based access control, append-only audit logging, and SCIM 2.0 for organization deployments. However, DepWarden says it holds no SOC 2, ISO 27001, or equivalent third-party attestation and has not commissioned an independent penetration test. Hosted availability is single-region, with no self-serve uptime SLA or public status page. Support hours are Monday to Friday, 10:00–18:00 IST.

Who it's for

Individual developers and open-source maintainers can start with report-only scans, while security engineers and CI gate owners have a path to build enforcement and repository integration. Compliance teams may value SBOM import and export, OpenVEX, and license notices. Organizations with strict EU or US residency requirements, a need for third-party security attestation, or a published uptime commitment should look elsewhere or evaluate the Enterprise deployment terms carefully.

Pros and cons

• Pros: Prioritization combines KEV, EPSS, fix availability, and dependency depth, with upgrade commands to support remediation.
• Pros: SCA, SAST, SBOM, and compliance outputs cover a wide range of security and inventory tasks, across 11 named ecosystems.
• Pros: Repository connections and build integrations span several major hosting and CI systems, and anonymous scans keep source code and compiled binaries out of the service's storage.
• Cons: No reachability analysis leaves teams without a way to separate reachable vulnerable components from other findings.
• Cons: Hosted service is limited to Mumbai, with no self-serve uptime SLA or public status page; organizations with regional or availability requirements may find that restrictive.
• Cons: The absence of third-party attestation and an independent penetration test may rule it out for buyers with formal assurance requirements.
• Cons: The Free plan cannot fail builds, and the first listed plan with SAST and VEX is Team at $99 a month.

Alternatives

ScanCode.io is a sensible alternative for buyers seeking free, self-hostable software that runs in Docker or on a Linux server, with no stated commercial plan or usage limits.

Snyk Open Source is worth comparing if a monthly free SCA plan capped at five projects or a Team plan for up to 10 developers better matches the intended scope.

Sonatype Nexus Repository offers a free Community Edition with full ecosystem support, CI/CD integration, and an external PostgreSQL option; consider it when those repository capabilities are the priority.

Accessibility Test Framework for Android is an alternative for a different need: Android accessibility testing.

Docker Desktop offers a free Personal plan and a Pro plan at $9 a month; consider it when Docker Desktop and related Docker tools are the requirement rather than dependency analysis.

Eclipse Steady is free open-source software under Apache License 2.0, an option for buyers specifically seeking that licensing model.

Endor Labs has a free Developer plan for individual developers with local scans via its AURI MCP server and no account requirement; its plan has no UI, policies, or scan history.

OpenSCA is free and states support for both online and offline use, which may suit users prioritizing that operating flexibility.

For more options, see Software Composition Analysis Software.

Verdict

DepWarden is a strong fit for developers, security teams, and compliance groups that want dependency prioritization, SAST, SBOM handling, and repository or CI integration in one tool. Its most compelling reason to choose it is the breadth of that workflow, from ranked findings to build gating and compliance exports. Look elsewhere if reachability analysis is essential, or if hosted-region flexibility, third-party attestation, or a published uptime SLA is a requirement.