What FRAMAC does

Frama-C (Framework for Modular Analysis of C programs) is an open-source, extensible platform for source-code analysis of C software, developed jointly by CEA LIST's Software Safety and Security Laboratory (Gif-sur-Yvette) and Inria Saclay's Toccata team. The platform combines multiple program-analysis techniques through a plug-in architecture — anchored by Eva (value analysis via abstract interpretation), WP (deductive verification using weakest precondition calculus), E-ACSL (runtime annotation checking), and RTE (runtime-error generation) — with the ACSL specification language serving as its formal contract notation, complemented by the Ivette graphical interface. Distribution is free and open-source under GPL, and there is no commercial monetization; primary users are (i) academic researchers and educators (for program-verification teaching and experimental research) and (ii) industrial developers of safety-critical C software in aerospace, nuclear, and embedded automotive domains, where the platform has been used to support certification under standards such as DO-178, IEC 60880, and Common Criteria EAL 6-7.

The platform operates as a non-commercial academic initiative rather than a revenue-generating business. Funding flows from EU Horizon 2020 grants (ENSURESEC, SPARTA, DECODER, VESSEDIA), earlier FP7-ICT projects (STANCE), and French ANR projects (CAT, U3CAT), with no paid licensing, no paid tiers, and no disclosed revenue. Distribution is exclusively community-led through opam, source tarballs, and a public GitLab repository (git.frama-c.com/pub/frama-c), and marketing is restricted to academic publications, technical documentation, blogs, RSS feeds, and a Mastodon presence — i.e., a content- and community-led GTM motion with no sales infrastructure.

Active development has continued uninterrupted since copyright began in 2007 (with origins in the 2005 RNTL CAT project). The platform has accumulated 30+ plug-ins, with a major stable release — Frama-C 32.0 Germanium — in December 2025, a beta of the next major version (33.0 Arsenic) in June 2026, and ongoing incremental plug-in updates (Frama-Clang for C++ analysis, LAnnotate, MetAcsl). Governance is academic rather than corporate: C. Marché at Université Paris Saclay serves as Director of Publication and Allan Blanchard at CEA Saclay serves as Webmaster. No commercial owner, parent company, subsidiary structure, or external investor base is disclosed.

Name

FRAMAC

Legal name

Frama-C (Framework for Modular Analysis of C programs)

Website

https://frama-c.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2007

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Frama-C is a free, open-source platform for sound static analysis of C programs via plug-ins (Eva, WP, E-ACSL, RTE) using formal methods. Co-developed by CEA LIST and Inria Saclay, it serves academic researchers and safety-critical industrial developers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Open Source Distribution: Frama-C is distributed as free open-source software under GPL. No commercial revenue is generated from the core product. Development is funded through research grants from EU Horizon programs and French national research agencies.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Frama-C is an open-source extensible platform for source-code analysis of C software, distributing multiple formal-methods-based analyzers as plug-ins (notably Eva, WP, and E-ACSL) that mathematically guarantee the absence of runtime errors and enable verification of functional correctness via the ACSL specification language. It is freely distributed under GPL and used for both academic research/teaching and industrial certification of safety-critical software.

Product overview

Frama-C is an open-source platform-plus-plugins architecture for modular analysis of C programs. The core Frama-C Platform provides the kernel and infrastructure, extended by specialized plugins including Eva for value analysis via abstract interpretation, WP for deductive verification using weakest precondition calculus, E-ACSL for runtime assertion checking, and RTE for generating runtime error annotations. The platform uses ACSL (ANSI/ISO C Specification Language) as its formal specification language. Ivette provides the graphical user interface for code navigation and analysis review. The platform is available for Linux, macOS, and Windows (WSL), distributed as open-source software.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• ACSL: ANSI/ISO C Specification Language - the formal specification language used in Frama-C for providing specifications and function contracts.
• E-ACSL
• Eva
• WP
• RTE

Products and services

• Frama-C Platform Open-source extensible collaborative platform dedicated to source-code analysis of C software; combines multiple program-analysis plug-ins (Eva, WP, E-ACSL, RTE, ACSL) to mathematically guarantee absence of runtime errors and verify functional correctness.
• Eva (Evolved Value Analysis) Plug-in that automatically computes variation domains for program variables using abstract interpretation; provides sound static analysis to prove absence of runtime errors (invalid memory accesses, uninitialized reads, integer overflows, divisions by zero, dangling pointers) and is highly configurable for accuracy/precision trade-offs.
• WP (Weakest Precondition) Deductive verification plug-in that proves functional correctness of C programs using weakest-precondition calculus and ACSL function contracts (preconditions/postconditions), relying on SMT solvers (Alt-Ergo, CVC5, Z3) and proof assistants (Coq) via Why3.
• E-ACSL Runtime Annotation Checking (RAC) plug-in that translates (Executable-)ACSL annotations into C code for runtime verification; combines with Eva and WP static analyses and uses GMP integers plus a high-performance shadow memory to detect undefined behaviors during execution.
• RTE (Runtime Error Generation) Plug-in that generates ACSL assertions for each expression potentially leading to C undefined behavior; serves as a pre-processor for the WP and E-ACSL plug-ins to verify runtime error annotations.
• ACSL (ANSI/ISO C Specification Language) Formal specification language used in Frama-C to provide function contracts (preconditions and postconditions) and behavioral annotations for C programs, enabling formal verification of conformance to functional specifications.
• Ivette (Frama-C GUI) Graphical user interface for Frama-C that lets users browse analyzed code, review alarms, display inferred variable ranges, highlight dead code, and interact with plug-in analyses such as Eva.

Quantifiable outcome

• SMT solvers can automatically prove up to 98% of verification conditions on real-world case studies
• +1 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

Yes

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration11 records

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• U3CAT (ANR France)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFrench National Research Agency (ANR) project (ANR-08-SEGI-0021) focused on Unification of Critical C Code Analysis Techniques, centered around the Frama-C platform. Aims to enhance, harden, and promote static analysis techniques for embedded software.
• CAT (ANR France)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFrench National Research Agency project (ANR-05-RNTL-0003) - predecessor project that produced the original Frama-C platform and ACSL specification language (2005 RNTL CAT project).
• CEA LISTcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFrench Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission (CEA LIST) Software Safety and Security Laboratory is a co-development partner. One of the two primary institutions creating and maintaining the Frama-C platform.
• Inria Saclay - Toccata TeamcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInria Saclay - Île-de-France Toccata research team (common with LRI-CNRS and Université Paris-Sud 11) is a co-development partner. One of the two primary institutions creating and maintaining the Frama-C platform.
• Alt-Ergo (SMT Solver)coreTechnology or IntegrationRecommended external prover for the WP plug-in. Alt-Ergo is an automatic theorem prover used for proving verification conditions generated by Frama-C's deductive verification engine.
• Coq (Proof Assistant)coreTechnology or IntegrationRecommended proof assistant for the WP plug-in. Coq provides interactive theorem proving capabilities for complex verification conditions that cannot be automatically proved by SMT solvers.
• Microsoft Z3 (SMT Solver)coreTechnology or IntegrationRecommended external prover for the WP plug-in. Microsoft's Z3 SMT solver provides automated reasoning capabilities for verification conditions.
• Why3 PlatformcoreTechnology or IntegrationWhy3 platform integration provides support for all provers compatible with Why3, extending Frama-C's verification capabilities to include multiple external automated theorem provers.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• TrustInSoft Analyzer: Commercial sound static analyzer for C/C++ using formal methods, targeting the same safety- and security-critical verification use cases (DO-178C, IEC 61508, MISRA) as Frama-C.
• Polyspace: MathWorks' sound static analyzer for C/C++/Ada code, widely used in aerospace and automotive for proving absence of runtime errors. Closest commercial analog to Frama-C's Eva in technique and target market.
• Klocwork (Perforce): Perforce's static analyzer for C, C++, C#, and Java, used in embedded and safety-critical software development — competes with Frama-C for industrial C code analysis mandates.
• Astrée: AbsInt's sound static analyzer for C, based on abstract interpretation — directly competing with Eva for safety-critical verification of embedded C code in aerospace, automotive, and industrial control.
• CodeSonar: GrammaTech's static analysis platform for C/C++ focusing on bug detection and security vulnerabilities in embedded and safety-critical codebases — overlaps Frama-C's industrial user base and certification objectives.

Broad incumbents

• Coverity (Synopsys): Enterprise-scale static analysis platform covering C/C++/Java/Go and many more, sold into safety- and security-critical programs. Overlaps Frama-C's C analysis use cases as part of a much broader portfolio.
• SonarQube: Widely adopted code quality and security platform supporting many languages including C/C++. Competes with Frama-C at the lower end of the static-analysis market, prioritizing developer workflow over formal verification.

Emerging players

• SPARK (AdaCore): SPARK is a formally verifiable subset of Ada paired with the GNATprove deductive verification tool. Targets the same safety-critical, formal-verification-driven market as Frama-C's WP plug-in but with a different language base.
• Clang Static Analyzer: Open-source static analyzer built into the LLVM/Clang toolchain, providing path-sensitive bug finding for C/C++. Competes with Frama-C as a free alternative but trades soundness guarantees for ease of use.
• Cppcheck: Open-source static analyzer primarily for C/C++ with a focus on undefined behavior detection. Adjacent to Frama-C's Eva in detecting the same class of issues, though without formal soundness guarantees.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xfosstodon.org/@frama_c
• GitHubgit.frama-c.com/pub/frama-c

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about FRAMAC