Black Duck Coverity vs Csmith
Black Duck Coverity
blackduck.comCsmith
github.comSide by side
| Figure | Black Duck Coverity | Csmith |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | — | Free |
| Free plan | — | Yes |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| Web | Yes | — |
| Windows | Yes | Yes |
| macOS | Yes | — |
| Linux | Yes | Yes |
| Self-hosted | Yes | — |
| Plans published | 1 | 1 |
| Spec score · Fuzz Testing Software | 7.8 (#11) | 7.8 (#12) |
| Purpose | Coverity is an enterprise-grade static analysis solution that finds and fixes security vulnerabilities and code quality defects before software ships. | Csmith generates random C programs to find compiler bugs using differential testing. |
Plans
In their own words
Black Duck Coverity
Black Duck Coverity is a paid static analysis solution for finding security vulnerabilities and code quality defects in source code before software ships. It analyzes code without executing it, scanning across files and libraries in entire codebases. Black Duck lists support for 22 programming languages and more than 250 frameworks, along with standards including MISRA, AUTOSAR, ISO 26262, PCI DSS, CERT C/C++/Java, DISA STIG, OWASP Top 10, and CWE Top 25. Coverity is TÜV SÜD certified for IEC 61508-3 support-tool requirements and qualified for use up to ASIL D under ISO 26262 and Level A under DO-178C. The Code Sight IDE plug-in offers real-time results, issue summaries, and code fixes. IDE, SCM, and CI integrations can trigger scans on commits and pull requests; listed connections include GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket, Azure DevOps, Jenkins, and others. Deployment can be fully air-gapped on premises, including Kubernetes clusters. Pricing is customized to team size and codebase and supplied by quote.
Csmith
Csmith is a free, open-source generator of random C programs for finding compiler bugs through differential testing. Its output avoids undefined behavior and includes statistics for each generated program. A documented workflow compiles programs with GCC and Clang, then compares their outputs to identify differences. The tool can also create material for a C test suite when users do not want to write one themselves. Command-line options shown by csmith -h and csmith -hh customize random generation. Csmith runs locally on Linux and Windows. Ubuntu source builds require g++, CMake, and m4, followed by CMake and make; Windows builds are documented with Visual Studio or WSL. The project says it should build on most modern machines with a C++ compiler. Generated programs may loop indefinitely, so execution timeouts are recommended. The repository includes a COPYING license file. Bug reports and suggestions go through GitHub issues, with discussion on a mailing list; maintainers warn replies may be delayed.