Apereo CAS vs SAML Jackson
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?
Apereo CAS
Enterprise single sign-on server for web applications
VS
SAML Jackson
SAML and OIDC SSO service bridging enterprise providers
| Feature | Apereo CAS | SAML Jackson |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Identity & SSO | Identity & SSO |
| License | Apache-2.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Language | Java | TypeScript |
| Setup difficulty | Hard | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 1,024 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | docker, kubernetes, bare-metal | docker |
| GitHub stars | ★ 11,354 | ★ 2,257 |
| First released | 2004 | 2022 |
| Replaces | Okta, Ping Identity | Auth0, WorkOS |
Why pick each one
Choose Apereo CAS if…
- Mature SSO with broad protocol support
- Widely adopted in academia
Choose SAML Jackson if…
- Released under the Apache-2.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Active community (2.3k GitHub stars)
- Written in TypeScript
Frequently asked questions
Is Apereo CAS or SAML Jackson better?
Neither is universally better. Apereo CAS has the larger community, while SAML Jackson is simpler to set up (medium difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Apereo CAS and SAML Jackson free and open-source?
Yes. Apereo CAS is licensed under Apache-2.0 and SAML Jackson under Apache-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Apereo CAS and SAML Jackson with Docker?
Apereo CAS: yes. SAML Jackson: yes.