Casbin vs Samba Active Directory DC
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?
Casbin
Authorization library supporting many access control models
VS
Samba Active Directory DC
Open-source Active Directory compatible domain controller
| Feature | Casbin | Samba Active Directory DC |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Identity & SSO | Identity & SSO |
| License | Apache-2.0 | GPL-3.0 |
| Language | Go | C |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Hard |
| Min. RAM | 128 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | source | docker, bare-metal, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 20,311 | ★ 1,000 |
| First released | 2017 | 1992 |
| Replaces | Auth0 RBAC | Active Directory, Windows Server |
Why pick each one
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
Choose Samba Active Directory DC if…
- Drop-in AD replacement
- Mature and widely deployed
Frequently asked questions
Is Casbin or Samba Active Directory DC better?
Casbin is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler medium setup. Consider Samba Active Directory DC if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are Casbin and Samba Active Directory DC free and open-source?
Yes. Casbin is licensed under Apache-2.0 and Samba Active Directory DC under GPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Casbin and Samba Active Directory DC with Docker?
Casbin: check the project docs for container support. Samba Active Directory DC: yes.