Prowler Alternative

cloud-audit: Prowler alternative with Terraform remediation and attack chain detection

Prowler is the most comprehensive open-source AWS scanner with 584 checks. But if you need a fast audit where every finding includes copy-paste Terraform code and CLI commands - plus attack chain detection that shows how findings combine into real threats - cloud-audit was built for that.

View on GitHub pip install cloud-audit Full 3-tool comparison

When to use cloud-audit instead of Prowler

You need copy-paste fixes, not just findings

Prowler's --fixer auto-remediates 55 of 584 checks by making direct AWS API calls. For the other 90%, you get documentation links. cloud-audit outputs AWS CLI commands and Terraform HCL for every single finding - code you can review before applying.

You want to see how findings combine into attack paths

cloud-audit's 20 attack chain rules correlate individual findings into exploitable multi-step paths. Example: public security group + IMDSv1 + admin IAM role = full account takeover. This analysis was previously only available in commercial tools like Wiz ($50k+/year).

You need fast CI/CD gating

cloud-audit runs 80 checks in under 60 seconds vs Prowler's 10-30 minutes. Exit codes (0 = clean, 1 = findings) work directly in GitHub Actions and GitLab CI. SARIF output feeds the GitHub Security tab.

You need free drift detection

cloud-audit diff compares two scan files and shows new, fixed, and unchanged findings. Prowler's scan comparison requires their paid Prowler Cloud platform or self-hosted App.

When to use Prowler instead

  • ▶ Compliance evidence - SOC2, PCI-DSS, HIPAA, CIS benchmarks with structured mapping. Prowler covers 41 frameworks. Nothing else in OSS matches this.
  • ▶ Multi-cloud scanning - Prowler covers AWS, Azure, GCP, and Kubernetes. cloud-audit is AWS only.
  • ▶ Maximum check coverage - 584 AWS checks vs 47. If you need comprehensive coverage of every service, Prowler is the right tool.
  • ▶ Large community and ecosystem - 13k+ GitHub stars, hundreds of contributors, AWS Marketplace listing, commercial support.

Prowler vs cloud-audit comparison

Feature Prowler cloud-audit
AWS checks 584 47
Remediation output 55 auto-fixers (direct API calls) 47/47 with CLI + Terraform code
Attack chain detection No 16 rules
Scan diff / drift tracking Paid platform only Built-in CLI command
CI/CD integration Yes (multiple formats) Yes (SARIF, Markdown, exit codes)
Scan speed 10-30 minutes Under 60 seconds (typical)
Multi-cloud AWS, Azure, GCP, K8s AWS only
CIS benchmarks Full (41 frameworks) 16 controls
License Apache 2.0 MIT
Paid tier Yes (Prowler Cloud / App) No - all features free

Quick start

terminal 
$ pip install cloud-audit

$ cloud-audit scan           # run all 80 checks
$ cloud-audit scan -R        # show Terraform + CLI fixes
$ cloud-audit diff a.json b.json  # compare two scans

Use both together

cloud-audit and Prowler are not mutually exclusive. A common setup:

  • 1. Daily CI/CD - cloud-audit in GitHub Actions for fast pass/fail gating with Terraform fix output
  • 2. Weekly drift checks - cloud-audit diff on a cron to catch console changes
  • 3. Quarterly compliance - Prowler with --compliance cis_1.5_aws for audit evidence

Frequently asked questions

Is cloud-audit a full replacement for Prowler?
No. Prowler has 584 AWS checks and covers 41 compliance frameworks. cloud-audit has 80 checks with CIS AWS v3.0 compliance (62 controls, 55 automated) and per-control Terraform remediation. If you need multi-cloud coverage, use Prowler. If you need CIS compliance with copy-paste fixes, attack chain detection, and breach cost estimation, cloud-audit fills that gap.
Why would I use cloud-audit instead of Prowler?
Three reasons: (1) Every finding includes Terraform code and CLI commands you can copy-paste - Prowler's auto-fixers cover 55 of 584 checks and mutate infrastructure directly. (2) Attack chain detection correlates findings into exploitable paths - 'public SG + IMDSv1 + admin role = account takeover.' (3) Built-in diff command tracks security drift without a paid platform.
Can I use both Prowler and cloud-audit together?
Yes. A common pattern is using Prowler for quarterly compliance audits and cloud-audit for daily CI/CD gating and quick checks. They complement each other - Prowler goes wide, cloud-audit goes deep on remediation.
What does cloud-audit's attack chain detection do?
It correlates individual findings into multi-step attack paths. For example: a public security group + IMDSv1 enabled + admin IAM role on the same EC2 instance = a critical account takeover path. 16 rules based on MITRE ATT&CK Cloud Matrix. This analysis was previously only available in commercial tools like Wiz and Orca.
Is cloud-audit free?
Yes. MIT license, all features included - attack chains, diff command, Terraform remediation, SARIF output. There is no paid tier. Install with pip install cloud-audit.
How fast is cloud-audit compared to Prowler?
cloud-audit typically completes in under 60 seconds for a standard AWS account. Prowler takes 10-30 minutes depending on account size and regions scanned. cloud-audit is faster because it runs 47 targeted checks vs Prowler's 584.

Try cloud-audit on your AWS account

80 checks, CIS AWS v3.0 compliance, attack chain detection, Terraform remediation. Under 60 seconds. Free and open-source.

GitHub Full comparison (Prowler vs ScoutSuite vs cloud-audit) Free AWS Security Review

Disclosure: cloud-audit is built by Mariusz Gebala, the author of this page.