Introducing Chainguard OS Packages for Secure, Custom Container Image Builds

Continuously rebuilt OS packages and base images enable precise image composition without sacrificing security

KIRKLAND, Wash., March 17, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Chainguard, the trusted source for open source, today announced Chainguard OS Packages, giving engineering teams access to packages and select Chainguard base images with zero known CVEs, built from source and maintained in the Chainguard Factory. Built on Chainguard OS, the purpose-built Linux distribution that underpins every Chainguard Container, Chainguard OS Packages now gives customers direct access to the same underlying packages used across the company's container image catalog. Designed for advanced teams that require greater precision and control over their container images, Chainguard OS Packages enables developers to build exactly what they want using their own tooling and pipelines without taking on the ongoing burden of CVE remediation and package maintenance.

The need for greater control with mature container security

As container security matures, many sophisticated organizations are moving beyond off-the-shelf images to continuously rebuilt, maintained underlying packages. These teams often require granular control over the composition, features, dependencies, and upgrade cadence of their production artifacts. Historically, advanced organizations that needed complete control over their image builds took on the operational toil of maintaining open source packages themselves: monitoring vulnerabilities, rebuilding on upstream changes, and ensuring compliance across their environments. With Chainguard OS Packages, teams who do not want to use an off-the-shelf image now have a DIY option that reduces engineering overhead.

"Chainguard OS Packages is like receiving a professional meal kit from a Michelin-starred supplier. It's for teams that don't need the finished meal, but want control over their recipe and look to us to provide the trusted ingredients," said Dan Lorenc, CEO and Co-founder, Chainguard. "Just as most chefs build a custom dish from trusted ingredients rather than growing every herb in their garden, Chainguard OS enables organizations to build custom container images from trusted packages without managing CVEs themselves. Customers keep full control of the final image while Chainguard handles sourcing and quality."

Chainguard OS Packages: Custom builds with end-to-end integrity

Chainguard OS is a purpose-built Linux operating system that captures security, functional, and performance updates from the open source community and delivers them to Chainguard customers as quickly as possible. Chainguard OS has always been critical to the end-to-end integrity and control in Chainguard Containers, and is included in every catalog contract. Now, the company is enabling customers to leverage the underlying packages of Chainguard OS directly. With Chainguard OS Packages, organizations can access enterprise-grade, zero-CVE packages and Chainguard base images built and continuously maintained in the Chainguard Factory. Customers can use their existing tooling, such as Dockerfiles, Bazel, and apko, to build custom container images with more than 30,000 packages delivered in a private APK repository from Chainguard. Packages include SBOMs generated through the company's software factory and are available in both FIPS and non-FIPS variants to support regulated environments.

By providing direct access to Chainguard's curated, continuously updated package ecosystem, Chainguard OS Packages enables teams to compose images that meet internal standards for minimalism, compliance, and performance while benefiting from the output and maintenance discipline of the Chainguard Factory. Organizations retain full flexibility over image content while offloading package maintenance, CVE remediation, and rebuild automation to Chainguard.

Ensuring Chainguard OS remains user-directed

Chainguard recently announced the Chainguard OS Fully User Directed Committee, or Chainguard OS FUD Committee, a user-led governance body designed to ensure Chainguard OS evolves in line with real-world user needs. Since its launch, several individuals have joined the committee, including:

• Bri Doyle, Product Manager, Cisco
• Joshua Cooper, DevSecOps Engineer, Fortune 500 financial services firm
• Rob Gil, Senior Director, Federal Architecture, Okta
• Shaun McDonnell, Director, Platform Engineering, Shift5
• Steve Hipwell, Senior Systems Architect, LexisNexis

Working closely with Chainguard's R&D teams, committee members are helping align secure-by-default principles, define emerging technical standards, and serve as an advisory and oversight layer representing the diverse voices of the Chainguard OS community. By design, this structure ensures Chainguard OS Packages and the broader OS ecosystem evolve based on user-governed priorities.

Chainguard OS Packages is available in beta. To learn more or request access, visit https://www.chainguard.dev/os-packages.

About Chainguard
Chainguard is the trusted source for open source. By delivering hardened, secure, and production-ready builds of all the open source software engineers and AI agents rely on, Chainguard helps organizations build faster, stay compliant, and eliminate risk. Its customers include Fortune 500 enterprises and global industry leaders, including Anduril, Canva, Fortinet, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, OpenAI, Snap Inc., and Snowflake. Chainguard is venture-backed by leading investors, including Amplify, IVP, Kleiner Perkins, Lightspeed Venture Partners, Mantis VC, Redpoint Ventures, Sequoia Capital, and Spark Capital. For more information, visit: https://www.chainguard.dev/

SOURCE Chainguard