Side by side
Joern vs SpotBugs
Both stand on static analysis tools. Which one you can start free with, which one lets you read the code, and what each costs once you pay.
Choose Joern if you need an open-source platform for graph-based code analysis, customizable queries, or CI security scanners. Its breadth of language frontends and API options support varied workflows, but the server should not be treated as a security boundary.
Visit JoernChoose SpotBugs if you need free static analysis for Java and want to run it standalone or through a listed build tool or IDE. Look elsewhere if you need established scanning support for bytecode produced by JDK 11 or newer, or support for older bytecode versions listed as unsupported.
Visit SpotBugsThe facts
| Joern | SpotBugs | |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Open source | Not published | Not published |
| Runs on | API, Linux, Mac, Self-hosted, Windows | Linux, Mac, Windows |
| Lowest paid plan | Not published | Free or on request |
| Plans published | None | 1 |
| Maker | Not published | Not published |
| Website | joern.io | spotbugs.github.io |
| On static analysis tools | #16 of 38 | #20 of 38 |
Joern: what it does well
- Analyzes source code, bytecode, and binary code.
- Code property graphs support cross-language analysis.
- Includes parsing, taint analysis, and search queries.
- Custom scanners can run in CI.
- Free and open source under Apache-2.0.
What to know first
- Language frontends have varying maturity levels.
- The server does not implement sandboxing.
- JDK 21 is the listed runtime requirement.
SpotBugs: what it does well
- Checks more than 400 bug patterns.
- Works standalone and integrates with Ant, Maven, Gradle, and Eclipse.
- Plugins can add detectors.
- Includes a security bug category.
- Runs on Linux, macOS, and Windows.
What to know first
- Requires a Java 11 or later runtime.
- Scanning bytecode from JDK 11 and newer is experimental.
- Bytecode from JDK 10, 9, 7, and earlier is unsupported.
- Warnings can include false positives.
Alternatives to Joern Alternatives to SpotBugs The whole list