Side by side
Cosign vs SignServer
Both stand on code signing software. Which one you can start free with, which one lets you read the code, and what each costs once you pay.
Free plan LinuxMacSelf-hosted+1
Cosign offers several signing approaches and supports a broad range of artifact workflows, including offline verification when the required materials are local. Its legacy status and lack of API stability guarantees matter for teams considering it as an application integration.
Visit Cosign
Free plan APILinuxMac+3
SignServer brings several digital-signing tasks and integrations into one server-side platform. Community is free for learning and prototyping, while the listed production limitations make edition choice important.
Visit SignServerThe facts
| Cosign | SignServer | |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Open source | Not published | Not published |
| Runs on | Linux, Mac, Self-hosted, Windows | API, Linux, Mac, Self-hosted, Web, Windows |
| Lowest paid plan | Free or on request | Free or on request |
| Plans published | 1 | 2 |
| Maker | Not published | Not published |
| Website | github.com | signserver.org |
| On code signing software | #4 of 28 | #8 of 28 |
Cosign: what it does well
- Signs and verifies OCI containers and many other artifact types.
- Supports keyless, hardware, KMS, and user-provided PKI signing.
- Can verify offline with local materials and a trusted root.
- Provides CI guidance for GitHub Actions and GitLab.
What to know first
- Documentation describes Cosign as a legacy signing system.
- No API stability guarantees; application integration is not recommended.
- Key generation is limited to ECDSA-P256, with SHA256 hashes for specified signing methods.
- Keyless signing may publish identity information in public logs.
SignServer: what it does well
- Centralizes signing keys and multiple use cases.
- Supports CI/CD and document workflow integrations.
- Community supports several deployment formats.
- Supports HSM key protection and trusted timestamping.
- Community plan costs nothing.
What to know first
- Community is not intended for production.
- Community REST lacks some endpoints.
- Secure-file key storage is for testing and prototypes.
- Enterprise Cloud trial lasts 30 days.
Alternatives to Cosign Alternatives to SignServer The whole list