Casdoor vs OpenUnison
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted identity & sso options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | Casdoor | OpenUnison |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Read-the-docs project |
| Health score | 94 · Excellent | 67 · Good |
| Category | Identity & SSO | Identity & SSO |
| License | Apache-2.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Language | Go | Less |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Hard |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 1,024 MB |
| Deployment | docker, kubernetes, binary | kubernetes, helm |
| GitHub stars | ★ 14,465 | ★ 136 |
| First released | 2021 | 2018 |
| Replaces | Auth0, Okta | Okta |
What are Casdoor and OpenUnison?
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
OpenUnison
OpenUnison is an open-source identity manager and single sign-on portal that integrates Kubernetes and applications with enterprise identity providers. It is self-hosted in the cluster.
- Kubernetes SSO portal
- Identity provisioning
- LDAP and SAML integration
- Self-service workflows
Casdoor vs OpenUnison: key differences
Casdoor is written in Go, while OpenUnison is built with Less. Casdoor is the lighter option, starting around 256 MB of RAM against 1,024 MB for OpenUnison. OpenUnison is the more established project (first released 2018), while Casdoor arrived in 2021. Casdoor has the considerably larger community, at 14,465 GitHub stars versus 136. Casdoor lists first-class Docker deployment; OpenUnison does not.
Why pick each one
Choose Casdoor if…
- Polished out-of-the-box UI
- Broad protocol support
Watch out for
- Documentation can be uneven
Choose OpenUnison if…
- Released under the Apache-2.0 license
- Kubernetes-ready with Helm charts available
- Written in Less
Frequently asked questions
Is Casdoor or OpenUnison better?
Casdoor is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler medium setup. Consider OpenUnison if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are Casdoor and OpenUnison free and open-source?
Yes. Casdoor is licensed under Apache-2.0 and OpenUnison under Apache-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Casdoor and OpenUnison with Docker?
Casdoor: yes. OpenUnison: check the project docs for container support.
Which is lighter on resources, Casdoor or OpenUnison?
Casdoor has the smaller minimum footprint at 256 MB of RAM, compared to about 1,024 MB for OpenUnison. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.