cfn-lint vs CIS-CAT Pro Assessor
cfn-lint
github.com
CIS-CAT Pro Assessor
cisecurity.orgSide by side
| Figure | cfn-lint | CIS-CAT Pro Assessor |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | $200/mo |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| Windows | Yes | Yes |
| macOS | Yes | Yes |
| Linux | Yes | Yes |
| API | — | Yes |
| Self-hosted | Yes | Yes |
| Plans published | 1 | 12 |
| Spec score · Infrastructure Testing Tools | 8.1 (#8) | 9.3 (#2) |
| Purpose | cfn-lint validates AWS CloudFormation YAML and JSON templates against resource provider schemas and additional checks, including valid property values and best practices. | CIS-CAT Pro Assessor scans systems and reports their compliance with CIS Benchmarks. |
| Support | The project invites users to join its Discord community to discuss cfn-lint and get help. | CIS SecureSuite membership includes technical product support, and the product page says dedicated Member Success Managers and enhanced technical support are available. |
Plans
CIS-CAT Pro Assessor
- CIS-CAT LiteFree
- CIS SecureSuite End User Membership (up to 99 employees)$2,400 a year
- CIS SecureSuite End User (up to 99 employees)$2,400 a year
- CIS SecureSuite Controls Membership$3,600 a year
- CIS SecureSuite End User (100–499 employees)$5,500 a year
- CIS SecureSuite End User Membership (100–499 employees)$5,500 a year
- CIS SecureSuite End User (500–999 employees)$7,900 a year
- CIS SecureSuite End User Membership (500–999 employees)$7,900 a year
- CIS SecureSuite End User Membership (1,000–4,999 employees)$10,900 a year
- CIS SecureSuite End User Membership (5,000–24,999 employees)$12,800 a year
In their own words
cfn-lint
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.
CIS-CAT Pro Assessor
CIS-CAT Pro Assessor has no write-up on Specifiction yet; its figures are above.