Astrée vs SeaHorn
Astrée
absint.comSeaHorn
seahorn.github.ioSide by side
| Figure | Astrée | SeaHorn |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | — | — |
| Free plan | — | — |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| Windows | Yes | — |
| macOS | — | Yes |
| Linux | Yes | Yes |
| Self-hosted | — | Yes |
| Plans published | 0 | 0 |
| Spec score · C and C++ Static Analysis Tools | 7.8 (#11) | 7.2 (#17) |
| Integrations | The maker describes CI/CD and DevOps integration, automatic AUTOSAR integration analysis from ARXML files, and a TargetLink coupling; release notes also mention an Astrée Jenkins plugin. | The site identifies CRAB as the abstract interpretation analyzer SeaHorn uses to provide numerical invariants. |
| License | Astrée is developed and distributed by AbsInt under license from CNRS/ENS. | SeaHorn is distributed under a modified BSD license. |
| Purpose | Astrée is a sound static analyzer designed to prove the absence of runtime errors and data races in C/C++ programs. | SeaHorn is a verification framework for LLVM-based programs. |
| Support | The maker's factsheet invites users to speak with a product specialist by phone and lists [email protected] as a contact email. | The project says it provides support to new users and invites users to report issues when Docker tags become stale. |
In their own words
SeaHorn
SeaHorn is a free, open-source framework for automated analysis of C and other LLVM-based programs, developed mainly for research in automated verification. It is not an out-of-the-box static analyzer. Its frontend prepares LLVM IR bitcode, and its middle end converts optimized bitcode into verification conditions written as Constrained Horn Clauses. Backend engines use SMT-based model checking, including PDR/IC3 techniques, and CRAB can provide numerical invariants through abstract interpretation. SeaHorn supports abstract interpretation, context-sensitive pointer analysis, bounded model checking, constrained-Horn-clause software model checking, and termination or non-termination analysis. For C programs with assertions, `sea pf` translates the program, generates and solves verification conditions, displays invariants for safe results, or saves a counterexample for violations. `sea inspect` reports program structure and can produce memory or call-graph data. The framework also checks generated clauses for inconsistent code fragments using path coverage. Docker is described as the easiest starting point, with a nightly image refreshed daily. Building requires LLVM, Z3, and Boost, whose exact versions change. SeaHorn runs on Linux, macOS, or self-hosted systems under a modified BSD license.