Anchore Enforce vs drydock: 2026 Comparison
Anchore Enforce is a commercial container security tool by Anchore. drydock is a free container security tool. Compare features, ratings, integrations, and community reviews side by side to find the best container security fit for your security stack.
CST VerdictBased on our analysis of NIST CSF 2.0 coverage, core features, company size fit, deployment model, here is our conclusion:
Mid-market and enterprise security teams operating Kubernetes environments need Anchore Enforce for its policy-as-code enforcement model, which closes the gap between vulnerability scanning and actual compliance gates in the pipeline. Pre-built policy packs for FedRAMP, NIST, and DISA compliance plus runtime monitoring of live clusters means you're covering both ID.AM (asset inventory) and DE.CM (continuous monitoring) without bolting on separate tools. Skip this if your organization lacks the infrastructure-as-code discipline to maintain JSON policies or if you need vulnerability remediation guidance; Anchore Enforce is strict enforcement, not hand-holding.
DevOps teams running Docker in CI/CD pipelines need Drydock because it audits container images against CIS benchmarks before they hit production, catching misconfigurations that scanners miss. The tool ships with customizable profiles and JSON output, so you can integrate it directly into your build process without manual remediation work. Skip this if your organization requires a graphical dashboard or runtime monitoring; Drydock is audit-focused and doesn't track container behavior after deployment.
