authentik 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?
authentik
Open-source identity provider with proxy outpost
VS
WSO2 Identity Server
Open-source identity and access management server
| Feature | authentik | WSO2 Identity Server |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Reverse Proxy & Gateways | Identity & SSO |
| License | MIT | Apache-2.0 |
| Language | Python | Java |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Hard |
| Min. RAM | 1,024 MB | 4,096 MB |
| Deployment | docker, kubernetes, helm | docker, kubernetes, bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 23,666 | ★ 870 |
| First released | 2020 | 2007 |
| Replaces | Okta, Auth0 | Okta, ForgeRock |
Why pick each one
Choose authentik if…
- Released under the MIT license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Kubernetes-ready with Helm charts available
- Mature project with 23.7k GitHub stars
Choose WSO2 Identity Server if…
- Enterprise feature set
- Strong standards coverage
Frequently asked questions
Is authentik or WSO2 Identity Server better?
authentik 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 authentik and WSO2 Identity Server free and open-source?
Yes. authentik is licensed under MIT and WSO2 Identity Server under Apache-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run authentik and WSO2 Identity Server with Docker?
authentik: yes. WSO2 Identity Server: yes.