NextGuard
Complete Guide

NextGuard User Guide

Everything you need to know about monitoring vulnerabilities in your software dependencies. From getting started to advanced API integrations.

Getting Started

Start monitoring your software dependencies for known vulnerabilities in under 2 minutes. No credit card required. Create an account, add your first project, upload your dependency files, and let NextGuard do the rest.

1

Create Your Account

Sign up for free at nextguardhq.com. No credit card required. You can start scanning immediately with the free plan.

2

Create a Project

Create a new project from your dashboard. Give it a name and optionally select the platform (WordPress, Node.js, Python, etc.).

3

Upload Dependencies

Upload your lock file or paste your dependency list. NextGuard auto-detects the format and scans for known CVEs instantly.

Uploading Dependencies

NextGuard supports a wide range of dependency file formats across all major programming languages and platforms. You can either upload the file directly or paste its contents.

Supported File Formats
composer.lock

PHP / WordPress

package-lock.json

Node.js (npm)

yarn.lock

Node.js (Yarn)

pnpm-lock.yaml

Node.js (pnpm)

requirements.txt

Python (pip)

Pipfile.lock

Python (Pipenv)

poetry.lock

Python (Poetry)

Gemfile.lock

Ruby

go.sum

Go

Cargo.lock

Rust

pom.xml

Java (Maven)

build.gradle

Java (Gradle)

packages.config

.NET (NuGet)

File Upload

Drag and drop your lock file directly into the project page. NextGuard will auto-detect the format.

Paste Contents

Copy the contents of your dependency file and paste them into the text area. Ideal when you cannot download the file.

Dashboard & Analytics

Basic+ plan

The NextGuard dashboard gives you a comprehensive overview of your security posture with interactive charts and real-time data. Analytics are available from the Basic plan and above.

Risk Score

An overall risk score (0-100) calculated from the number and severity of your vulnerabilities. Lower is better.

Mean Time to Remediate

Tracks how long it takes your team to fix vulnerabilities after they are discovered. Measured in days.

Severity Distribution

Pie chart showing the breakdown of your vulnerabilities by severity level: Critical, High, Medium, Low, and None.

Vulnerability Trend

Line chart tracking the total number of open vulnerabilities over time. Helps identify if your security posture is improving.

Opened vs Fixed

Bar chart comparing newly discovered vulnerabilities against fixed ones per period. Goal: fixed should exceed opened.

CVSS Distribution

Histogram showing the distribution of CVSS scores across all your vulnerabilities. Identifies score clusters.

Age Matrix

Heatmap showing vulnerability age vs severity. Highlights old, high-severity vulnerabilities that need urgent attention.

Top Vulnerable Components

Ranked list of your most vulnerable dependencies. Prioritize updates for components at the top.

Project Treemap

Visual map showing the relative vulnerability load of each project. Larger blocks indicate more vulnerabilities.

Vulnerability Details

Each vulnerability in NextGuard comes with rich threat intelligence data to help you prioritize remediation effectively. Understand severity, exploitability, and real-world impact at a glance.

CVSS Score

The Common Vulnerability Scoring System (CVSS) provides a standardized severity rating from 0.0 to 10.0. NextGuard displays both CVSS v3.1 and v2.0 scores when available.

None (0.0)Low (0.1-3.9)Medium (4.0-6.9)High (7.0-8.9)Critical (9.0-10.0)

EPSS (Exploit Prediction Scoring)

The Exploit Prediction Scoring System estimates the probability that a vulnerability will be exploited in the wild within the next 30 days. Higher EPSS means higher urgency. Available on Pro plans and above.

Pro+ plan

CISA KEV (Known Exploited Vulnerabilities)

If a vulnerability appears in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog, it means it has been actively exploited in the wild. These vulnerabilities should be patched immediately. Available on Pro plans and above.

Pro+ plan

Proof of Concept (PoC)

NextGuard indicates whether a public proof-of-concept exploit exists for a vulnerability. PoC availability significantly increases exploitation risk. Available on Pro plans and above.

Pro+ plan

Alert System

Basic+ plan

Stay informed about new vulnerabilities affecting your projects with NextGuard's email alert system. Receive timely notifications when new CVEs are discovered in your dependencies.

Email Notifications

Receive email alerts when new vulnerabilities are found in your monitored projects. Configure recipients and notification preferences per project.

Frequency by Plan

  • Basic Weekly digest
  • Pro Daily digest
  • Business Every 3 hours
  • Developer Every hour
  • Enterprise Every 15 minutes

API Access

Developer+ plan

Integrate NextGuard into your development workflow with our REST API. Automate vulnerability scanning, retrieve scan results programmatically, and build custom integrations. Available from the Developer plan ($9/mo).

Authentication

Authenticate API requests using Bearer tokens. Generate your API token from Account Settings. Include it in the Authorization header of every request.

Authorization: Bearer <your-api-token>
Available Endpoints
GET/api/v1/projects
GET/api/v1/projects/:id/vulnerabilities
POST/api/v1/projects/:id/scan
GET/api/v1/projects/:id/export
GET/api/v1/cve/:id

Rate Limits

  • Developer 1,000 calls/month
  • Agency 10,000 calls/month
  • Enterprise 50,000 calls/month
API Playground
Demo Mode

cURL

curl https://nextguardhq.com/api/v1/projects \ -H "X-API-Key: vs_pk_your_api_key"

Error Responses

401

Unauthorized. Provide a valid API key via X-API-Key header.

403

API access is not available on your current plan. Upgrade to Developer or higher.

404

Project not found

429

API rate limit exceeded. Your plan allows 1,000 calls/month.

Export & Reports

Basic+ plan

Export your vulnerability data in multiple formats for reporting, compliance, or integration with other tools. Export formats vary by plan.

JSON

Basic+

Machine-readable format, ideal for automation and CI/CD pipelines.

CSV

Pro+

Spreadsheet-compatible format for analysis in Excel, Google Sheets, etc.

XLSX

Business+

Full Excel workbook with formatted tables, charts, and summary sheets.

Plans & Pricing

NextGuard offers flexible plans for individuals and teams. Start free and upgrade as your needs grow. All paid plans include a 14-day money-back guarantee. Payments are securely processed by Paddle.com, our Merchant of Record — we never store your credit card or payment information.

PlanPriceProjectsScan Freq.AlertsExportsAPIHistory
Free$0/mo1weekly------7d
Basic$3/mo1dailyweeklyJSON30d
Pro$5/mo312hdailyJSON, CSV90d
Business$7/mo53h3hJSON, CSV, XLSX180d
Developer$9/mo53h1hJSON, CSV, XLSX180d
Agency$19/mo2530min30minJSON, CSV, XLSX1y
Enterprise$49/mo10015min15minJSON, CSV, XLSX2y

Security & Privacy

We take the security of your data seriously. NextGuard is designed with privacy and security as core principles. All payments are handled by Paddle.com — we never see or store your credit card details. Here is how we protect your information.

Encryption in Transit & at Rest

All data is encrypted using TLS 1.3 in transit. Sensitive data is encrypted at rest using AES-256. Passwords are hashed with bcrypt.

Secure Authentication

JWT-based authentication with short-lived access tokens and refresh token rotation. OAuth 2.0 (Google, GitHub) is also supported.

Infrastructure

Hosted on enterprise-grade infrastructure with automated backups, DDoS protection, and 99.9% uptime SLA for paid plans.

Data Minimization

We only store the dependency data necessary for vulnerability scanning. We never store your source code. You can delete all your data at any time.

Ready to Secure Your Software?

Start monitoring your dependencies for vulnerabilities today. Free forever for 1 project.