cfn-lint vs Cinc Auditor

cfn-lint is a free, open-source validator for AWS CloudFormation YAML and JSON templates. It checks templates against resource provider schemas and applies additional rules, including validation of property values and best practices. AWS Serverless Application Model templates are processed after transformation with AWS SAM. Users can configure built-in checks through command-line options, configuration files, or CloudFormation template metadata, and can add custom rules. Results can be emitted as quiet, parseable, JSON, JUnit, pretty, or SARIF output. Installation options documented by the project include pip, Homebrew for macOS, and Docker; supported Python versions are 3.10 through 3.14. Listed integrations include Atom, Emacs, NeoVim/Vim, Sublime, Visual Studio Code, IntelliJ IDEA, GitHub Actions, and pre-commit. The project treats complex template-value validation as best effort and does not fail merely because it cannot interpret or translate a value. The repository identifies its license as MIT No Attribution, and the plan costs nothing.

Cinc Auditor is a free distribution of Chef InSpec for compliance and audit workflows on Linux, macOS, and Windows. Its profiles are fully compatible with upstream counterparts, and its tools work with InSpec; an InSpec wrapper redirects to Cinc Auditor so existing automation can keep working. Installation options include scripts, Bundler, RubyGems, and plain packages. Cinc also publishes a Docker Hub image as a drop-in replacement for chef/inspec. It can run InSpec-compatible profiles in CI or against containers, with GitLab CI and GitHub Actions named as examples. Auditor is included in Cinc Workstation. Cinc says its binaries use the Apache 2.0 license without additional EULAs or licensing. The project does not provide formal warranties or support, and it does not currently offer repositories for standard package managers such as yum or apt. The free plan costs nothing. Cinc recommends contacting Progress for warranty or support needs.