Llama Guard
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Llama Guard is a self-hosted library in the Guardrails & Safety layer of the AI stack. Safety classifier for prompt and response moderation.
By Lattice editorial · Facts verified · method
- licence
- Llama-3.1-Community
- language
- Python
- cost
- free
- owned by
- Production & Governance
Verified 2026-09build refuses it from 2027-04
Use Llama Guard when
One classifier covering both prompt and response moderation.
Skip Llama Guard when
You need domain-specific policy enforcement.
Stops the bad input before it, and the bad output after. — that is what this layer of the stack is answerable for. See the full Guardrails & Safety section for the rest of the options.
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[](https://lattice.kunjshah.in/guardrails-safety/llama-guard)Quick answers
- Is Llama Guard open source?
- Not under an OSI-approved licence. Llama Guard is source-available under Llama-3.1-Community, which restricts some commercial uses. It is free to use.
- What are the alternatives to Llama Guard?
- The closest alternatives to Llama Guard are Lakera Guard and NeMo Guardrails.
Reading on guardrails
Alternatives to Llama Guard
Listed as an alternative to
- NeMo GuardrailsNeMo GuardrailsProgrammable rails that constrain conversational flow.Use when Constraining conversational flow with programmable rails.Skip when You need deep semantic moderation — it is not a classifier.Apache-2.0 · self-hosted · free
- Lakera GuardLakera GuardPrompt injection and jailbreak detection at the gateway.Use when Prompt-injection and jailbreak detection at the gateway.Skip when Requests cannot leave your network.proprietary · saas · usage-based
Also in guardrails
- NeMo GuardrailsNeMo GuardrailsProgrammable rails that constrain conversational flow.Use when Constraining conversational flow with programmable rails.Skip when You need deep semantic moderation — it is not a classifier.Apache-2.0 · self-hosted · free
- Guardrails AIGuardrails AIValidators that check model output against a defined schema.Use when Validators that check output against a schema you define.Skip when You need free-form moderation rather than structural checks.Apache-2.0 · self-hosted · free
- Microsoft PresidioMicrosoft PresidioPII detection and anonymization for text and images.Use when Detecting and anonymising PII in text and images.Skip when Your data is already pseudonymised at source.MIT · self-hosted · free
- Lakera GuardLakera GuardPrompt injection and jailbreak detection at the gateway.Use when Prompt-injection and jailbreak detection at the gateway.Skip when Requests cannot leave your network.proprietary · saas · usage-based
- garakgarakScanner that probes models for known vulnerability classes.Use when Probing your own system for known vulnerability classes.Skip when You have no remediation path for whatever it finds.Apache-2.0 · self-hosted · free
- PyRITPyRITMicrosoft's red-team tool for generating and scoring attack prompts.Use when Generating and scoring attack prompts systematically.Skip when You are not authorised to test the target.MIT · self-hosted · free
- Invariant GuardrailsInvariant GuardrailsGuardrails as code, enforced inline in the call path.Use when Guardrails as code, enforced inline in the call path.Skip when Self-hosting is a hard requirement.proprietary · managed · usage-based