2FAuth vs Casbin
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
Casbin
Authorization library supporting many access control models
| Feature | 2FAuth | Casbin |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Identity & SSO | Identity & SSO |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Language | PHP | Go |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 128 MB |
| Deployment | docker, source | source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 4,090 | ★ 20,311 |
| First released | 2020 | 2017 |
| Replaces | Authy, Google Authenticator | Auth0 RBAC |
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 Casbin if…
- Released under the Apache-2.0 license
- Mature project with 20.3k GitHub stars
- Written in Go
- Tiny footprint — runs in 128 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is 2FAuth or Casbin better?
Neither is universally better. Casbin 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 Casbin free and open-source?
Yes. 2FAuth is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and Casbin under Apache-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run 2FAuth and Casbin with Docker?
2FAuth: yes. Casbin: check the project docs for container support.