11notes vs Sockguard
11notes takes the most opinionated approach to socket security: by default it allows most Docker API reads except a fixed set of sensitive endpoints and blocks every write, and an opt-in containers-only mode allows container start and stop and nothing else. Sockguard takes a different approach: a configurable default-deny policy engine for reads and controlled writes, with per-client policies, signed bundles, and image trust verification.
Feature Comparison
Here's how we compare on the features that matter most.
| Feature | 11notes | Sockguard |
|---|---|---|
| Method filtering | Yes | Yes |
| Read-only focus | Yes (read-only by default; opt-in containers-only mode allows start/stop) | Configurable (read + controlled write) |
| Zero-config | Yes (no file needed) | Partial (Tecnativa-compat env vars work with no file; YAML needed beyond that) |
| Attack surface | Minimal (read-only by default) | Broader (configurable) |
| Request body inspection | No | Yes (12+ resource types) |
| Per-client policies | No | CIDR + labels + cert selectors + unix peer |
| Write API control | Limited (blocks writes by default; opt-in mode allows container start/stop only) | Yes (default-deny + granular rules) |
| Read-side redaction | Partial (targets 7 risky GETs; the image-export pattern misses both real export shapes; its image-inspect misfire, 11notes #12, was fixed in v2.1.6) | Full (visibility rules + JSON field redaction) |
| Signed policy bundles | No | Yes (cosign keyed + keyless, Rekor) |
| Container image trust | No | Yes (cosign + enforce / warn modes) |
| Prometheus metrics | No | Yes (opt-in, socket-proxy request metrics) |
| Rate limits | No | Yes (per-profile token-bucket) |
| Audit log schema | No | Yes (opt-in, JSON schema + reason codes) |
Key Differentiators
What we built that 11notes doesn't cover.
Configurable Default-Deny
11notes is read-only by default, and its opt-in containers-only mode allows nothing beyond container start and stop. Sockguard starts default-deny and lets you open exactly the operations you need with explicit rules, so CI can run containers while monitoring only reads metrics.
Full Read-Side Redaction
11notes targets 7 risky GET endpoints, but its image-export pattern matches neither the single-image nor the multi-image export request shape, and the same style of pattern misfired on image inspect in 11notes issue #12 (fixed in v2.1.6). Sockguard goes further with visibility rules and JSON field redaction, so callers only see the labels, environment variables, and mount paths their policy allows.
Per-Client Policies
11notes applies the same mode to every caller, read-only or containers-only. Sockguard assigns different policies per CIDR range, Docker label, TLS certificate selector, or Unix peer credential.
Container Image Trust
Sockguard enforces image signatures at deployment time — blocking container or swarm-service creates whose images aren't signed or don't match a trusted digest. 11notes has no image-trust layer.
Signed Policy Bundles
Sockguard verifies policy files with cosign keyed or keyless signatures and Rekor inclusion. Policy tampering is caught before any request is evaluated.
Prometheus Metrics
Sockguard exports socket-proxy request metrics, deny counts, and latency histograms. 11notes has no observability layer beyond container logs.
Coming from 11notes?
Start with Sockguard's read-only preset, explicitly allow only the reads your client needs, then open write operations with rules scoped to trusted profiles. Unlike 11notes' fixed allow-most-reads policy, Sockguard requires you to choose the permitted surface.
$ docker run -d \
--name sockguard \
-v /var/run/docker.sock:/var/run/docker.sock:ro \
-v /var/run/sockguard:/var/run/sockguard \
-e SOCKGUARD_LISTEN_SOCKET=/var/run/sockguard/sockguard.sock \
codeswhat/sockguardReady to try Sockguard?
Default-deny, Apache-2.0, no SaaS required. Drop it in front of your socket in minutes.