Acunetix
Web vulnerability scanner for automated security testing of websites and web apps
Arachni
Intelligent Ruby scanner for dynamic web application security
Arachni is a modular, high‑performance Ruby framework that automatically discovers security issues in modern web applications, featuring an integrated browser for JavaScript/AJAX analysis and extensive authentication support.
Overview
Overview
Arachni provides a feature‑full, modular framework written in Ruby for automated security testing of web applications. It learns from the target’s behavior during scans, performing meta‑analysis to reduce false positives and adapt to dynamic content.
Capabilities & Deployment
The scanner includes a real‑browser environment that captures DOM changes, JavaScript execution, and AJAX traffic, enabling detection of client‑side vulnerabilities. Users can run scans via a simple command‑line tool, a collaborative web interface, or embed the library in custom Ruby scripts. Its plugin architecture allows developers to create bespoke checks, while adaptive concurrency automatically balances load based on server health. Arachni supports a wide range of authentication methods, proxy configurations, and SSL options, making it suitable for complex enterprise environments.
Audience
Designed for penetration testers, security engineers, and developers who need deep, automated analysis of modern web applications, Arachni also serves researchers building custom scanning tools or data‑mining pipelines.
Highlights
Integrated real‑browser environment for JavaScript and AJAX analysis
Adaptive concurrency with automatic server‑health monitoring
Modular plugin system for custom checks and extensions
Multiple interfaces: CLI, web UI, and Ruby library
Pros
- High performance asynchronous scanning
- Extensive authentication and proxy support
- Rich browser‑level insight into client‑side code
- Flexible deployment options (CLI, web, library)
Considerations
- Requires Ruby runtime, adding a language dependency
- Resource‑intensive when using the browser cluster
- Project is officially obsolete; successor exists
- Initial configuration can be complex for beginners
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Fit guide
Great for
- Security auditors needing deep coverage of modern web apps
- Teams that already use Ruby in their toolchain
- Organizations requiring customizable scan plugins
- Researchers building automated vulnerability research pipelines
Not ideal when
- Users seeking a lightweight, single‑binary scanner
- Environments without Ruby or with strict resource limits
- Teams that need the latest actively maintained scanner
- Casual hobbyists looking for a plug‑and‑play solution
How teams use it
Comprehensive corporate web portal assessment
Generates a detailed vulnerability report with reduced false positives across dynamic pages.
CI/CD integration for staging builds
Automatically scans each build, catching XSS, SQLi, and other issues before release.
Custom authentication plugin development
Enables tailored scans for internal applications using proprietary login mechanisms.
Web data‑mining and scraping
Extracts structured information from complex sites using custom components.
Tech snapshot
Ruby82%
JavaScript16%
HTML2%
CSS1%
Smarty1%
Frequently asked questions
What Ruby version is required to run Arachni?
Arachni works with Ruby 2.5 and newer; consult the documentation for exact version compatibility.
Can I run scans without the integrated browser?
Yes, you can disable the browser cluster for faster, non‑JavaScript scans, though client‑side issues may be missed.
How are plugins added or created?
Plugins are Ruby classes placed in the `plugins/` directory; the framework loads them automatically, and developers can follow the provided API guidelines.
What resources does the browser cluster consume?
Each browser worker runs a full browser instance, so memory and CPU usage increase with the pool size; adjust the pool based on available hardware.
Project at a glance
Stable- Stars
- 3,988
- Watchers
- 3,988
- Forks
- 786
Repo age15 years old
Last commit8 months ago
Primary languageRuby
Last synced 3 hours ago