Image Matcher Overview

Tue, 26 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000

The Chainguard Image Matcher is an API-based tool that analyzes the software bill of materials (SBOM) of an existing container image and returns a ranked list of Chainguard images that most closely match it. It is designed to support migration workflows where you know what you are running today and want to find the best Chainguard equivalent.

How it works

You supply an SBOM for your current image, along with the source Linux distribution. The Image Matcher maps the packages in your SBOM to Chainguard APK packages, scores each candidate Chainguard image based on how well its contents cover your requirements, and returns a ranked list of recommendations with confidence scores.

Find a Matching Chainguard Image Using the API

Tue, 26 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000

This guide walks through calling the Chainguard Image Matcher API to find the best Chainguard equivalent for an existing container image. It assumes you already have an SBOM for the image you want to migrate.

For background on how the matcher works and how it scores recommendations, see Image Matcher Overview.

Prerequisites

Before getting started, you will need:

Image Matcher on

Image Matcher Overview

How it works

Find a Matching Chainguard Image Using the API

Prerequisites