RepoFlow was created with a clear goal: to provide a simple package management alternative that just works without the need for teams to manage or maintain it. Many existing solutions required constant setup, tuning, and oversight. RepoFlow focused on removing that overhead entirely, letting organizations run a reliable system that stays out of the way.
As adoption grew, one request came up often: built-in vulnerability scanning.
When “Nice-to-Have” Became Non-Negotiable
Package management complexity has reached a breaking point. Developers context-switch between npm registries, container repositories, language-specific package systems, and artifact storage platforms. Each ecosystem brings its own interface, authentication model, and workflow patterns. Tomer Cohen founded RepoFlow in 2024 to collapse this fragmentation into a single, intuitive interface where platform teams could manage packages without cognitive overhead.
Early traction validated the approach. Development teams appreciated the consolidation. But procurement conversations kept hitting the same obstacle: “We can’t adopt this without vulnerability scanning.”
This wasn’t a feature request, it was a compliance requirement. Security scanning has become table stakes for developer tooling in 2025, not because it provides competitive differentiation, but because organizations can’t justify purchases without it. The regulatory landscape around software supply chain security, from NIST SSDF to emerging EU Cyber Resilience Act requirements, means security visibility isn’t optional anymore.
But here’s the problem that most tool builders fail to solve: security tools are notorious for adding back the complexity they’re meant to protect against. Slow scans block workflows. Heavy resource consumption degrades performance. Separate interfaces force context switching. Authentication complexity creates friction. For a product whose entire value proposition centered on reducing cognitive load, adding security capabilities meant walking a tightrope. Ship it wrong, and the product’s core promise evaporates.
RepoFlow needed vulnerability scanning that was fundamentally different from traditional security tooling; fast enough not to disrupt workflows, lightweight enough not to burden infrastructure, and integrated enough to avoid context switching.
The Solution: Grype and Syft to the Rescue
RepoFlow’s engineers started from a blank slate. Two options surfaced:
- Build a custom scanner: maximum control, but months of work and constant feed maintenance.
- Integrate an open source tool: faster delivery, but only if the tool met strict performance and reliability bars.
They needed something fast, reliable, and light enough to run alongside package operations. Anchore’s Grype checked every box.
Grype runs as a lightweight CLI directly inside RepoFlow. Scans trigger on demand, initiated by developers rather than background daemons. It handles multiple artifact types: containers, npm, Ruby gems, PHP packages, and Rust cargo crates, without consuming extra resources.
Under the hood, results flow through a concise pattern:
- Generate SBOMs (Software Bills of Materials) with Syft.
- Scan those SBOMs with Grype for known CVEs (Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures).
- Parse the JSON output, deduplicate results, and store in RepoFlow’s database.
- Surface findings in a new Security Scan tab, right beside existing package details.
Parallel execution and caching keep even large-image scans under a minute. The UI remains responsive; users never leave the page.
This looks straightforward, run a scan, show a table but the user experience determines whether developers embrace it or work around it.
Buy vs. Build (What the Evaluation Revealed)
RepoFlow benchmarked several approaches:
| Criterion | Requirement | Why Grype Won |
|---|---|---|
| Speed | Must not introduce developer friction | Sub-minute scan times on standard containers |
| Reliability | Must work across languages | Consistent results across npm, Ruby, PHP, Rust |
| Resource use | Must be lightweight | Minimal CPU / memory impact |
| Maintainability | Must stay current | Active Anchore OSS community & frequent DB updates |
During testing, RepoFlow opened a few GitHub issues around database sync behavior. The Anchore OSS team responded quickly, closing each one; an example of open source collaboration shortening the feedback loop from months to days.
The result: an integration that feels native, not bolted on.
The Payoff: Context Without Complexity
Developers now see vulnerabilities in the same pane where they manage packages. No new credentials, no separate dashboards, no waiting for background jobs to finish. Security became part of the workflow rather than a parallel audit.
Adoption followed. Enterprise prospects who had paused evaluations re-engaged. Support tickets dropped. Teams stopped exporting data between tools just to validate package risk.
Anchore’s open-source stack, Syft for SBOMs, Grype for vulnerability scanning, proved that open foundations can deliver enterprise-grade value without enterprise-grade overhead.
Getting Started
For RepoFlow Users
Vulnerability scanning is available in RepoFlow version 0.4.0 and later. The Security Scan tab appears in package detail views for all supported artifact types.
RepoFlow website: repoflow.io
Documentation and configuration guidance: docs.repoflow.io
For Tool Builders Considering Similar Integrations
Anchore’s open source projects provide the foundation RepoFlow leveraged:
- Syft: SBOM generation for containers and packages (github.com/anchore/syft)
- Grype: Vulnerability scanning with CLI and library interfaces (github.com/anchore/grype)
The Anchore OSS community maintains active discussions on integration patterns, configuration approaches, and implementation guidance. Contributing improvements and reporting issues benefits the entire ecosystem; just as RepoFlow’s database update feedback improved the tools for all users.
