Apereo CAS vs Casdoor
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted identity & sso options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | Apereo CAS | Casdoor |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 93 · Excellent | 94 · Excellent |
| Category | Identity & SSO | Identity & SSO |
| License | Apache-2.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Language | Java | Go |
| Setup difficulty | Hard | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 1,024 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | docker, kubernetes, bare-metal | docker, kubernetes, binary |
| GitHub stars | ★ 11,376 | ★ 14,465 |
| First released | 2004 | 2021 |
| Replaces | Okta, Ping Identity | Auth0, Okta |
What are Apereo CAS and Casdoor?
Apereo CAS
Apereo CAS is an open-source, enterprise single sign-on solution and identity provider. Widely used in higher education, it supports the CAS protocol along with SAML, OAuth2 and OpenID Connect.
- CAS, SAML, OAuth2 and OIDC protocols
- Multi-factor authentication
- Pluggable authentication handlers
- Delegated and federated authentication
Casdoor
Casdoor is an open-source identity and access management platform with a strong focus on a friendly user interface. It supports OAuth2, OIDC, SAML, CAS, LDAP and many social login providers.
- Supports OAuth, SAML, CAS and LDAP
- Dozens of built-in social login providers
- Multi-tenant organization support
- Web-based admin and login UI
Apereo CAS vs Casdoor: key differences
Apereo CAS is written in Java, while Casdoor is built with Go. Casdoor is the lighter option, starting around 256 MB of RAM against 1,024 MB for Apereo CAS. Apereo CAS is the more established project (first released 2004), while Casdoor arrived in 2021.
Why pick each one
Choose Apereo CAS if…
- Mature SSO with broad protocol support
- Widely adopted in academia
Watch out for
- Configuration is involved
Choose Casdoor if…
- Polished out-of-the-box UI
- Broad protocol support
Watch out for
- Documentation can be uneven
Frequently asked questions
Is Apereo CAS or Casdoor better?
Casdoor is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler medium setup. Consider Apereo CAS if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are Apereo CAS and Casdoor free and open-source?
Yes. Apereo CAS is licensed under Apache-2.0 and Casdoor under Apache-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Apereo CAS and Casdoor with Docker?
Apereo CAS: yes. Casdoor: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Apereo CAS or Casdoor?
Casdoor has the smaller minimum footprint at 256 MB of RAM, compared to about 1,024 MB for Apereo CAS. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.