Primary job
Artifact manager
Host, mirror, and distribute packages — internal artifacts and public-registry mirrors.
Chainsaw
Host your internal artifacts and evaluate policy on every install request to any registry, public or private.
Positioning
Why not just a package registry?
Cloudsmith, JFrog, Nexus, Verdaccio host packages and stop there. Chainsaw hosts your internal artifacts and enforces install-time policy on the npm, PyPI, Maven, Docker, and CI traffic that never hits a private registry. Run alongside your existing registry, or replace it.
Where it sits
Artifact manager
Developers pull from the manager's private registry URLs.
Chainsaw
Developers keep pulling from npm, PyPI, Maven, Docker — Chainsaw proxies those requests, and serves your internal artifacts on the same URL.
Rollout cost
Artifact manager
Change every package-manager config, migrate internal artifacts, maintain mirrors in perpetuity.
Chainsaw
One-line registry URL swap per package manager. Adopt incrementally — keep your existing registry, or replace it.
Response to a newly disclosed CVE
Artifact manager
Scanner flags the affected version in hosted artifacts; you file tickets and chase upgrades.
Chainsaw
Policy update blocks the affected version on the next install, org-wide, with no code changes.
Where security lives
Artifact manager
An add-on scanning tier on top of hosting.
Chainsaw
The product. Policy enforcement is the primary surface, not a bolt-on.
On-prem / air-gapped
Artifact manager
Typically available on enterprise-tier contracts with bespoke deployment work.
Chainsaw
Included on the Unlimited plan — same binary as the managed service.
Feature matrix
What each layer actually does
| Capability | Artifact manager Cloudsmith · JFrog · Nexus · Verdaccio | Chainsaw Install-time policy proxy |
|---|---|---|
| Hosts internal artifacts Authenticated publish across npm, PyPI, Maven, Docker, Cargo, RubyGems, NuGet, Go, Swift, APT/Yum/DNF + 5 more. | Yes | Yes |
| Mirrors / caches public packages Hosted publish + pass-through cache on the same URL — both on every plan. | Yes | Yes |
| Install-time policy enforcement Block or allow a package before it enters a build. | No | Yes |
| Monitoring-first rollout See what would be blocked before you enforce. | No | Yes |
| Zero-migration deploy Adopt without moving artifacts into a new registry. | No | Yes |
| Works with npm, PyPI, Maven, Docker | Yes | Yes |
| Block version the moment a CVE lands Org-wide, no code changes, no upgrade PRs. | Partial | Yes |
| Policy on public-registry traffic that bypasses your registry Most npm/pip traffic never hits your hosted registry. | No | Yes |
| Runs alongside your existing registry Or replace it entirely — Chainsaw is a full registry, not just a checkpoint. | — | Yes |
| On-prem / air-gapped | Partial | Yes |
Already running an artifact manager?
Keep your registry. Put Chainsaw in front of the public-registry traffic.
Chainsaw adds a policy checkpoint to every install — including the npm, PyPI, Maven, and Docker traffic that never hits your hosted registry. When you're ready, migrate your internal artifacts to Chainsaw too: same URL, no separate publish workflow.