2FAuth vs Apereo CAS
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted identity & sso options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Not the right match-up?
2FAuth
Self-hosted web app to manage two-factor authentication codes
VS
Apereo CAS
Enterprise single sign-on server for web applications
| Feature | 2FAuth | Apereo CAS |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Identity & SSO | Identity & SSO |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Language | PHP | Java |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Hard |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 1,024 MB |
| Deployment | docker, source | docker, kubernetes, bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 4,090 | ★ 11,354 |
| First released | 2020 | 2004 |
| Replaces | Authy, Google Authenticator | Okta, Ping Identity |
Why pick each one
Choose 2FAuth if…
- Released under the AGPL-3.0 license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Active community (4.1k GitHub stars)
Choose Apereo CAS if…
- Mature SSO with broad protocol support
- Widely adopted in academia
Frequently asked questions
Is 2FAuth or Apereo CAS better?
Neither is universally better. Apereo CAS has the larger community, while 2FAuth is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are 2FAuth and Apereo CAS free and open-source?
Yes. 2FAuth is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and Apereo CAS under Apache-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run 2FAuth and Apereo CAS with Docker?
2FAuth: yes. Apereo CAS: yes.