Authorizer vs Janssen Project
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted identity & sso options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | Authorizer | Janssen Project |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Read-the-docs project |
| Health score | 85 · Excellent | 80 · Excellent |
| Category | Identity & SSO | Identity & SSO |
| License | Apache-2.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Language | Go | Java |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Hard |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 4,096 MB |
| Deployment | docker, binary | kubernetes, helm |
| GitHub stars | ★ 2,007 | ★ 649 |
| First released | 2021 | 2020 |
| Replaces | Auth0, Firebase Authentication | Okta, Auth0 |
What are Authorizer and Janssen Project?
Authorizer
Authorizer is a self-hosted authentication and authorization service that provides social login, email and OTP login, and roles through a GraphQL API. It ships with prebuilt login pages and SDKs.
- Social and email login
- GraphQL auth API
- Prebuilt login UI
- Role-based access control
Janssen Project
The Janssen Project is a Linux Foundation effort delivering a scalable, cloud-native identity and access management platform. It implements OpenID Connect, OAuth 2.0, and FIDO standards for authentication and authorization.
- OpenID Connect provider
- OAuth 2.0 server
- FIDO2 and passkeys
- Cloud-native deployment
Authorizer vs Janssen Project: key differences
Authorizer is written in Go, while Janssen Project is built with Java. Authorizer is the lighter option, starting around 256 MB of RAM against 4,096 MB for Janssen Project. Authorizer has the considerably larger community, at 2,007 GitHub stars versus 649. Authorizer lists first-class Docker deployment; Janssen Project does not.
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 Janssen Project if…
- Standards complete
- Built for scale
Watch out for
- Complex to operate
- Heavy resource needs
Frequently asked questions
Is Authorizer or Janssen Project better?
Authorizer is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler easy setup. Consider Janssen Project if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are Authorizer and Janssen Project free and open-source?
Yes. Authorizer is licensed under Apache-2.0 and Janssen Project under Apache-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Authorizer and Janssen Project with Docker?
Authorizer: yes. Janssen Project: check the project docs for container support.
Which is lighter on resources, Authorizer or Janssen Project?
Authorizer has the smaller minimum footprint at 256 MB of RAM, compared to about 4,096 MB for Janssen Project. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.