Cosign

Input—per 1M tokens

Output—per 1M tokens

Context—tokens

WeightsClosed

About

Cosign is ranked #9 of 26 in code signing software on Inferse. It runs on Linux, macOS, Self-hosted, Windows. There is a free plan.

Compared on code signing software

Free plan: Yesgithub.com
Supported targets: OCI container images, blobs, binaries, scripts, configuration files, SBOMs, WASM modules, Tekton bundles, eBPF modules, and In-Toto attestationsgithub.com
Certificate provided: Yesgithub.com
Cloud signing: Nogithub.com
HSM key protection: Yesgithub.com
Trusted timestamping: Yesgithub.com
CI/CD signing: Yesgithub.com

Facts

Purpose: Cosign signs and verifies OCI containers and other software artifacts.github.com · 2 Oct 2026
Keyless signing: Its default keyless signing uses Sigstore’s public-good Fulcio certificate authority and Rekor transparency log.github.com · 2 Oct 2026
Key options: Cosign supports hardware and KMS signing, encrypted keypairs it generates, and bring-your-own PKI.github.com · 2 Oct 2026
Registry storage: It can sign, verify, and store container signatures in an OCI registry.github.com · 2 Oct 2026
Artifact types: Cosign includes utilities for publishing generic artifacts through OCI and supports in-toto attestations.github.com · 2 Oct 2026
Registry integrations: The project lists tested registries including AWS ECR, Google Artifact Registry, Docker Hub, Azure Container Registry, GitLab Container Registry, and GitHub Container Registry.github.com · 2 Oct 2026
CI integrations: Installation guidance covers using Cosign in GitHub Actions and GitLab CI/CD pipelines.docs.sigstore.dev · 2 Oct 2026
Security verification: The installation guide recommends verifying downloaded Cosign binaries; releases are signed with keyless signing and an artifact key.docs.sigstore.dev · 2 Oct 2026
Offline verification: Cosign can verify signatures offline when the image and signature materials are available locally and a trusted root is supplied.github.com · 2 Oct 2026
Support: The project directs users with problems to open a GitHub issue or ask in the Sigstore Slack channel.github.com · 2 Oct 2026
Intended users: The Sigstore integration guidance identifies open-source package managers as primary stakeholders for artifact signing and verification workflows.docs.sigstore.dev · 2 Oct 2026
Development status: Cosign is described as a legacy system that should still be used for signing, while Sigstore-go is recommended for verification integrations.docs.sigstore.dev · 2 Oct 2026
Integration limitation: Cosign functions were designed for its CLI rather than as an API; the documentation says there are no API stability guarantees and does not recommend Cosign for application integration.docs.sigstore.dev · 2 Oct 2026
Signing limitation: Cosign generates only ECDSA-P256 keys and uses SHA256 hashes for ephemeral keyless and managed-key signing.github.com · 2 Oct 2026
Purpose: Cosign signs and verifies OCI containers and other software artifacts.github.com · 3 Oct 2026
Keyless signing: Its default keyless signing uses the Sigstore public-good Fulcio certificate authority and Rekor transparency log.github.com · 3 Oct 2026
Key options: Cosign supports hardware and KMS signing, generated encrypted key pairs, and bring-your-own PKI.github.com · 3 Oct 2026
Artifact storage: Container signatures can be stored alongside images in an OCI registry, and Cosign also provides utilities for publishing generic artifacts through OCI.github.com · 3 Oct 2026
Attestations: Cosign supports in-toto attestations, with payloads signed using DSSE.github.com · 3 Oct 2026
Registry integrations: The project lists tested registries including AWS ECR, Google Artifact Registry, Docker Hub, Azure Container Registry, GitLab Container Registry, GitHub Container Registry, Harbor, and others.github.com · 3 Oct 2026
CI integrations: The installation documentation describes use in GitHub Actions and GitLab CI/CD pipelines.docs.sigstore.dev · 3 Oct 2026
Platforms and installation: The project links Linux and macOS release binaries and documents installation through Go, Homebrew, Arch, Alpine, Nix, GitHub Actions, GitLab, and container images.docs.sigstore.dev · 3 Oct 2026
Offline verification: Cosign can verify locally available images offline when the signature bundle and trusted root are available.github.com · 3 Oct 2026
Security model: For keyless signing, Cosign uses ephemeral keys held in memory, short-lived Fulcio certificates, and Rekor transparency log entries.docs.sigstore.dev · 3 Oct 2026
Public log privacy: The quick start warns that signing may place identity information such as an account email in public transparency logs, where it cannot later be removed.github.com · 3 Oct 2026
Notable limit: Cosign generates ECDSA-P256 keys and uses SHA256 hashes for ephemeral keyless and managed-key signing.github.com · 3 Oct 2026
Security reporting: Sigstore asks vulnerability reporters to email [email protected] and says the Security Response Committee will acknowledge reports within 24 hours.github.com · 3 Oct 2026
Support: The project directs users with issues to open a GitHub issue or ask in its Slack channel.github.com · 3 Oct 2026