Cinc Auditor

Cinc Auditor is a free distribution of Chef InSpec for compliance and audit workflows on Linux, macOS, and Windows. Its profiles remain compatible with upstream counterparts, and its tools work with InSpec; an InSpec wrapper redirects to Cinc Auditor to keep existing automation working. Installation options include scripts, Bundler, RubyGems, and plain packages. Cinc also publishes a Docker Hub image described as a replacement for chef/inspec, for running compatible profiles in CI or against containers, including with GitLab CI and GitHub Actions. Auditor is included in Cinc Workstation. Cinc says its binaries use the Apache 2.0 license without additional EULAs or licensing. The project does not provide formal warranties or support, and it currently lacks repositories for standard package managers such as yum or apt. The free plan costs nothing. The project recommends contacting Progress for warranty or support needs; security issues in its binaries, build pipelines, or supporting libraries can be reported privately by email.

Cinc Auditor offers compatibility with InSpec profiles and automation, plus several installation paths and a container option. Readers should account for the lack of formal support and standard package-manager repositories.

Cinc Auditor suits teams that need InSpec-compatible compliance checks locally or in CI across Linux, macOS, and Windows. It may also fit users who want to run checks against containers or use cloud environments including AWS, Azure, and GCP.

Overview

Cinc Auditor is a free distribution of Chef InSpec for compliance and audit work. It suits engineers and small teams that already use InSpec profiles or need local and CI policy checks across major operating systems. The core case for choosing it is broad compatibility without a software fee; organizations requiring formal vendor support or conventional package repositories should look elsewhere.

Key features

Auditor handles configuration compliance, deployed checks and policy as code through local execution, with cloud coverage for AWS, Azure and GCP. Profiles built for Cinc Auditor are fully compatible with their upstream counterparts, while the Auditor tools are compatible with InSpec itself. An inspec wrapper redirects to cinc-auditor, so existing scripts and automation can continue using the familiar command rather than being rewritten.

Installation is unusually flexible for a free distribution: scripts, Bundler, RubyGems and plain packages are all supported routes. Instructions cover Linux, macOS and Windows, which helps mixed-platform teams standardize their compliance tooling. Cinc also publishes a cincproject/auditor image on Docker Hub as a drop-in replacement for chef/inspec. The image runs InSpec-compatible profiles in CI or against containers and is positioned for GitLab CI and GitHub Actions, making it useful when checks need to become repeatable pipeline gates.

The main operational compromise is distribution rather than capability. Cinc does not provide repositories for standard package managers such as yum or apt, so Linux fleets built around those channels need to use another installation method. Auditor is included with Cinc Workstation, which is convenient for users adopting that broader workstation bundle.

Pricing

Cinc Auditor — free: The free distribution of Chef InSpec includes no formal warranties or support. There is no paid tier, seat allowance, usage quota or trial period to weigh, so it fits individual practitioners, labs and teams that can operate community software themselves. The zero-price plan is less suitable for regulated or business-critical deployments that require contractual assistance. Cinc says its binaries are licensed under Apache 2.0 with no additional EULAs or licensing charges.

Platforms

Auditor supports Linux, macOS and Windows. Its Docker image adds a practical container-based path for CI and container-targeted checks, while local execution remains the model for running the tool on those operating systems. Cloud checks cover AWS, Azure and GCP.

Who it's for

Choose Cinc Auditor when your team has Chef InSpec knowledge, relies on upstream-compatible profiles, or wants compliance checks embedded in GitLab CI or GitHub Actions without licensing expense. It is also a sensible fit for developers who need several installation mechanisms or a container image that can stand in for chef/inspec. Teams that depend on apt or yum repositories, formal warranties or a supported commercial escalation path should consider a different distribution or tool.

Pros and cons

• Pro: upstream compatibility. Existing InSpec profiles and automation can carry over, including through the inspec wrapper.
• Pro: flexible deployment. Scripts, Bundler, RubyGems, plain packages and a Docker image cover varied workstation and pipeline setups.
• Pro: broad platform and cloud scope. Linux, macOS, Windows, AWS, Azure and GCP support reduce the need for separate checkers.
• Con: no formal support or warranties. Production users must accept community-level responsibility; Cinc points those needing guarantees or support to Progress.
• Con: no apt or yum repositories. Standard Linux fleet automation may require custom installation handling.

Alternatives

Conftest is another free, Apache-licensed option for Linux, macOS and Windows; choose it when that tool better matches your policy-testing workflow. Terratest is a free Apache 2.0 open-source project built by Gruntwork and available on Linux, making it the alternative when infrastructure tests in that ecosystem are the priority.

cfn-lint is free on Linux, macOS, Windows and self-hosted environments, with Python 3.10–3.14 support; pick it for CloudFormation-focused linting. kube-score is a free MIT-licensed tool spanning Linux, macOS, Windows, web and self-hosted use, suited to Kubernetes manifest checks. kubeconform is a free cross-platform choice with no paid plans or stated usage limits.

Serverspec is a free open-source Ruby gem maintained by Gosuke Miyashita; choose it when that Ruby-based approach is the better fit. terraform-plugin-testing is a free open-source Go module for Terraform provider testing on Linux and macOS. Test Kitchen is a free Apache 2.0 project for Linux, macOS and Windows, installable through RubyGems, system packages or Cinc/Chef Workstation.

For a broader comparison, see Infrastructure Testing Tools.

Verdict

Cinc Auditor is a strong recommendation for InSpec users and self-sufficient teams that want compatible compliance checks, multiple installation paths and CI container support at no cost. Its decisive drawback is operational: there is no formal support or warranty, and no standard apt or yum repository, so organizations needing vendor accountability or tightly managed package deployment should choose another solution.