Authorizer 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?
Authorizer
Open-source auth solution with a ready-made UI
VS
Apereo CAS
Enterprise single sign-on server for web applications
| Feature | Authorizer | Apereo CAS |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Identity & SSO | Identity & SSO |
| License | Apache-2.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Language | Go | Java |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Hard |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 1,024 MB |
| Deployment | docker, binary | docker, kubernetes, bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 1,977 | ★ 11,354 |
| First released | 2021 | 2004 |
| Replaces | Auth0, Firebase Authentication | Okta, Ping Identity |
Why pick each one
Choose Authorizer if…
- Released under the Apache-2.0 license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Active community (2k GitHub stars)
Choose Apereo CAS if…
- Mature SSO with broad protocol support
- Widely adopted in academia
Frequently asked questions
Is Authorizer or Apereo CAS better?
Neither is universally better. Apereo CAS has the larger community, while Authorizer is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Authorizer and Apereo CAS free and open-source?
Yes. Authorizer is licensed under Apache-2.0 and Apereo CAS under Apache-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Authorizer and Apereo CAS with Docker?
Authorizer: yes. Apereo CAS: yes.