Socket

Name: Socket
Brand: Socket

Supply chain security platform that flags malicious and risky open-source dependencies.

softwareSecurity Auditingsupply-chain-securitysbomdependency-scanning

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Our Verdict

Best for

Engineering teams wanting automated, low-noise scanning for malicious or risky open-source dependencies in CI/CD.

Skip if

You're a solo developer who only occasionally needs a one-off dependency check.

What is Socket?

Socket is a developer-first software supply chain security platform that protects applications from malicious dependencies, vulnerable packages, license risk, and supply-chain attacks across ecosystems including npm, PyPI, Go, Maven, Cargo, NuGet, and RubyGems. It uses deep package analysis across more than 70 alert categories, covering things like typosquats, obfuscated install scripts, unexpected network calls, and crypto-wallet-targeting code. Beyond detection, Socket offers reachability analysis to cut false positives by identifying which flagged dependencies are actually executed, plus SBOM export in CycloneDX/SPDX/OpenVEX formats, diff scans on pull requests, and a triage workflow. It ships as a hosted API, CLI, GitHub App, IDE extensions, and a package-installer firewall proxy, with integrations for GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket, Azure DevOps, Jira, Slack, and Microsoft Teams.

SpecificationsAI-estimated

deploymentCloud/SaaS

open source❌ No

api available✅ Yes

key integrationsGitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket, Azure DevOps, Jira, Slack, Microsoft Teams

Key Features of Socket

Analyzes packages across 70+ risk categories including malware, typosquats, obfuscated install scripts, and unexpected network calls.

Reachability analysis identifies which flagged dependencies are actually executed by the application, reducing false positives.

Generates SBOMs in CycloneDX, SPDX, and OpenVEX formats for compliance reporting.

Runs diff scans on pull requests to catch newly introduced risky dependencies before merge.

Ships a package-installer firewall proxy (sfw) that can block risky installs at the source.

Integrates with GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket, Azure DevOps, Jira, Slack, and Microsoft Teams.

Supports npm, PyPI, Go, Maven, Cargo, NuGet, and RubyGems ecosystems.

Use Cases for Socket

Blocking malicious npm/PyPI packages

Teams use Socket's alert categories to catch malware and typosquatted packages before they land in a codebase.

Pull request dependency review

Diff scans flag newly introduced risky dependencies directly on pull requests.

Compliance SBOM generation

Security and compliance teams export CycloneDX/SPDX SBOMs for audits.

Reducing dependency scan noise

Reachability analysis helps teams focus only on vulnerabilities in code paths that actually execute.

Pros & Cons of Socket

Pros

Free tier is genuinely usable for open-source projects with 1,000 scans/month
Reachability analysis meaningfully cuts noisy false positives compared to naive dependency scanning
Broad ecosystem coverage beyond just npm
Deep integration options across CI/CD, chat, and issue tracking tools

Cons

Paid tiers charge per seat, which can add up for larger engineering orgs
SSO/SAML is locked behind the higher Business tier
Primarily targeted at teams already doing CI/CD-based development, less useful for ad hoc scanning

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Socket free to use?

Yes, there is a free tier with 1,000 scans per month and 70+ risk type detection, aimed at open-source projects.

Which package ecosystems does Socket support?

npm, PyPI, Go, Maven, Cargo, NuGet, RubyGems, and other open-source ecosystems.

What is reachability analysis?

It identifies which flagged dependencies are actually executed by the application, which Socket says reduces false positives by 60%.

Can Socket generate SBOMs?

Yes, it exports SBOMs in CycloneDX, SPDX, and OpenVEX formats, available on paid tiers.

Pricing Overview

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Freemium

Free

Team

$25/seat/month ($20/year)

Business

$50/seat/month ($40/year)

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