Authelia vs WSO2 Identity Server
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted apps from related categories — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Not the right match-up?
Authelia
Authentication and authorization server for reverse proxies
VS
WSO2 Identity Server
Open-source identity and access management server
| Feature | Authelia | WSO2 Identity Server |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Reverse Proxy & Gateways | Identity & SSO |
| License | Apache-2.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Language | Go | Java |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Hard |
| Min. RAM | 128 MB | 4,096 MB |
| Deployment | docker, kubernetes, binary | docker, kubernetes, bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 28,514 | ★ 870 |
| First released | 2017 | 2007 |
| Replaces | Okta, Cloudflare Access | Okta, ForgeRock |
Why pick each one
Choose Authelia if…
- Released under the Apache-2.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Kubernetes-ready with Helm charts available
- Mature project with 28.5k GitHub stars
Choose WSO2 Identity Server if…
- Enterprise feature set
- Strong standards coverage
Frequently asked questions
Is Authelia or WSO2 Identity Server better?
Authelia is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler medium setup. Consider WSO2 Identity Server if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are Authelia and WSO2 Identity Server free and open-source?
Yes. Authelia is licensed under Apache-2.0 and WSO2 Identity Server under Apache-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Authelia and WSO2 Identity Server with Docker?
Authelia: yes. WSO2 Identity Server: yes.