A composition for application to a metal substrate comprises an aqueous carrier, a hydroxide anion and/or a phosphate anion, and a corrosion inhibitor comprising an azole compound, a rare earth ion, an alkali earth metal ion, and/or a transition metal ion. A substrate or article includes the composition for application to a metal substrate and a coating on the composition. A method of fabricating a substrate comprises applying the composition to a substrate, allowing the composition to dry to form a dried composition, and applying a coating on the dried composition.