Install vuls with Homebrew, Nix, apt

Project links

• Homepage
• Repository
• Upstream docs
• Package manager page

Commands and aliases

• future-vuls
• snmp2cpe
• trivy-to-vuls
• vuls
• vuls-scanner

Project history

The GitHub repository was created under Future Architect in March 2016, and the README credits kotakanbe as the creator. The project grew from a concrete operations problem: administrators often cannot simply enable automatic updates on production servers, yet manually tracking NVD, OVAL, vendor trackers, and package advisories across many machines is error-prone.

Vuls developed as a Go-based scanner with multiple scan modes. Its documentation describes remote scans over SSH, local scans for hosts that should not be reached centrally, and server mode where target hosts collect software information and send it to a Vuls server over HTTP.

Over time Vuls expanded from OS package vulnerability checks into a larger security-data workflow. The README lists data sources and integrations including NVD, JVN, vendor OVAL feeds, distribution security trackers, Microsoft CVRF, exploit and PoC data, CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities, MITRE ATT&CK and CAPEC data, application dependency data, and WordPress scanning.

Adoption history

Vuls is one of the more visible open-source host vulnerability scanners from the Go security tooling wave of the mid-2010s. By July 2026, GitHub repository metadata showed about 12.2k stars and more than 1.2k forks, indicating durable use well beyond a single-company internal tool.

The project also accumulated companion commands and data tools. Current release assets include `vuls`, `vuls-scanner`, `future-vuls`, `snmp2cpe`, and `trivy-to-vuls`, showing how the project adapted to adjacent scanners, CPE mapping, and hosted-service workflows.

How it is used

A common Vuls workflow is to create a `config.toml`, fetch or serve vulnerability dictionaries, scan target machines, and then generate reports for humans or automation. Remote mode uses SSH from a central machine; local and server modes reduce the need for inbound access to target hosts.

Vuls does not update vulnerable packages itself. Its value is detection, prioritization, and reporting: it tells operators which servers and software are affected, adds severity and exploit context when available, and can send notifications through channels such as email or Slack.

Why package nerds care

Vuls matters to package and security nerds because it turns package inventories, CVE identifiers, OVAL feeds, vendor advisories, CPE naming, and exploit metadata into a repeatable command-line workflow. It is especially relevant for people who care about the gap between distro package versions and upstream vulnerability identifiers.

Timeline

• 2016: future-architect/vuls was created on GitHub on March 27, 2016.
• 2017: FreeBSD ports carried Vuls as an agentless vulnerability scanner with SSH, TUI, notification, and multi-distribution support.
• 2020: v0.14.0 was published on December 23, 2020, among the older releases still visible through the GitHub releases API page inspected for this run.
• 2026: v0.39.3 was published on June 9, 2026, with signed release artifacts for multiple Vuls-related commands.

Related projects

• Vuls is related to go-cve-dictionary, goval-dictionary, go-cpe-dictionary, gost, go-exploitdb, vulsctl, VulsRepo, Trivy, OWASP Dependency-Check, NVD, JVN, OVAL, and distribution security trackers.

Sources

• https://api.github.com/repos/future-architect/vuls
• https://api.github.com/repos/future-architect/vuls/releases
• https://github.com/future-architect/vuls
• https://raw.githubusercontent.com/future-architect/vuls/master/README.md
• https://vuls.io/
• https://vuls.io/docs/en
• https://www.freshports.org/security/vuls/