FOSSology vs SW360

FOSSology is an open-source system for examining software for license, copyright, and export-control information. Upload individual files or packages, then unpack and scan them with selected agents. Nomos looks for license indicators through phrases, regular expressions, and heuristics; Monk checks text against stored license texts or phrases supplied by users. Its web interface supports review of findings, license-text management, bulk recognition, aggregated file views, and reusing reviews for files with matching hashes. It can identify copyright statements and presents keyword-based findings that users can review for possible export-control relevance. Reports include SPDX 2.0 exports, Debian copyright files, hierarchical file lists with license identifiers, and Readme files with identified license and copyright details. A REST API supports CI/CD use, uploads, and scan triggers from other applications; the command line can retrieve SPDX files. Deployment options include Docker, Vagrant with VirtualBox, or source installation. It is free, with on-premise deployment options. One stated limit: it cannot determine which libraries produced a binary; binary analysis tools are needed for that task.

SW360 is an open-source catalogue and repository for organizing software component information across an organization. It records components, releases, and projects, manages license information and obligations, and supports workflows that produce license-related documents. Software Bill of Materials management is listed as a use case, with SPDX RDF/XML and CycloneDX import formats. SW360 also collects vulnerability information and matches it with components in its component service. A REST API exposes its functions, with documented HTTP Basic, API token, OAuth2, and Keycloak authentication options. The recommended version 20 deployment uses Docker- or Podman-compatible containers for the frontend, Keycloak, CouchDB, and Spring Boot backend. SW360 can trigger FOSSology clearing and import its reports, while FOSSology performs license scanning. SW360 itself does not scan licenses or source code. The project is free, licensed under EPL-2.0, and designed for self-managed deployment. Version 20.1.0 is listed as dated July 29, 2026.