Authorizer 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?
Authorizer
Open-source auth solution with a ready-made UI
VS
Casbin
Authorization library supporting many access control models
| Feature | Authorizer | Casbin |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Identity & SSO | Identity & SSO |
| License | Apache-2.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Language | Go | Go |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 128 MB |
| Deployment | docker, binary | source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 1,977 | ★ 20,311 |
| First released | 2021 | 2017 |
| Replaces | Auth0, Firebase Authentication | Auth0 RBAC |
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 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 Authorizer or Casbin better?
Neither is universally better. Casbin 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 Casbin free and open-source?
Yes. Authorizer is licensed under Apache-2.0 and Casbin under Apache-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Authorizer and Casbin with Docker?
Authorizer: yes. Casbin: check the project docs for container support.