2FAuth vs Dex
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
Dex
OpenID Connect identity provider with pluggable connectors
| Feature | 2FAuth | Dex |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | docker, kubernetes, binary |
| GitHub stars | ★ 4,090 | ★ 11,019 |
| First released | 2020 | 2016 |
| Replaces | Authy, Google Authenticator | Okta, Auth0 |
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)
Frequently asked questions
Is 2FAuth or Dex better?
Neither is universally better. Dex 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 Dex free and open-source?
Yes. 2FAuth is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and Dex under Apache-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run 2FAuth and Dex with Docker?
2FAuth: yes. Dex: yes.