Sigstore vs The Update Framework
Sigstore
sigstore.devThe Update Framework
theupdateframework.ioSide by side
| Figure | Sigstore | The Update Framework |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | — |
| Free plan | Yes | — |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | Yes | — |
| Web | Yes | — |
| Windows | Yes | — |
| macOS | Yes | — |
| Linux | Yes | — |
| API | Yes | — |
| Self-hosted | Yes | — |
| Plans published | 2 | 0 |
| Spec score · Code Signing Software | 8.3 (#7) | 6.7 (#26) |
| Founded | 2021 | 2009 |
| Governance | Sigstore is operated as a public-good, nonprofit project within the Open Source Security Foundation ecosystem. | The project’s about page says TUF is managed by the Linux Foundation under the Cloud Native Computing Foundation. |
| Purpose | Sigstore is an open source project for improving software supply chain security. | TUF is a framework for securing new and existing software update systems, designed to protect against repository and signing key compromise. |
Plans
In their own words
Sigstore
Sigstore is a free, open source project for signing and verifying software artifacts to improve supply chain security. It supports release files, container images, binaries, software bills of materials, and more. Signatures use temporary keys, so developers do not have to manage signing keys; events are recorded in a tamper-resistant public log for audit. Its components include Cosign, Fulcio, Rekor, OpenID Connect, and Policy Controller. Cosign signs and verifies artifacts and stores signatures in an OCI registry. Fulcio issues temporary certificates to authorized identities, while Rekor keeps signed metadata in a searchable ledger. OpenID Connect authenticates users through providers such as GitHub and Google. The trust root uses The Update Framework and is maintained by five keyholders from different companies and academic institutions. Sigstore provides GitHub Actions, documents GitLab CI installation, and offers official clients for Go, Java, JavaScript, Python, Ruby, and Rust. It supports API, Linux, macOS, Windows, and self-hosted environments. One integration caveat is that Cosign has no API stability guarantees, does not follow semantic versioning, and is not recommended for application integration because of its dependencies.
The Update Framework
The Update Framework has no write-up on Specifiction yet; its figures are above.