Dex vs Gluu Flex
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted identity & sso options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | Dex | Gluu Flex |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 90 · Excellent | 69 · Good |
| Category | Identity & SSO | Identity & SSO |
| License | Apache-2.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Language | Go | TypeScript |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Hard |
| Min. RAM | 128 MB | 4,096 MB |
| Deployment | docker, kubernetes, binary | docker, kubernetes, helm |
| GitHub stars | ★ 11,120 | ★ 31 |
| First released | 2016 | 2009 |
| Replaces | Okta, Auth0 | Okta, Ping Identity |
What are Dex and Gluu Flex?
Dex
Dex is an identity service that uses OpenID Connect to drive authentication for other applications. It acts as a portal to other identity providers through connectors such as LDAP, SAML and GitHub.
- OIDC federation broker
- Connectors for LDAP, SAML and GitHub
- Popular in Kubernetes environments
- Lightweight and stateless
Gluu Flex
Gluu provides a self-hostable identity platform for single sign-on, multi-factor authentication, and access management built on open standards. It supports OAuth, OIDC, SAML, and FIDO2.
- Single sign-on
- OAuth, OIDC and SAML
- FIDO2 strong authentication
- Kubernetes deployment
Dex vs Gluu Flex: key differences
Dex is written in Go, while Gluu Flex is built with TypeScript. Dex is the lighter option, starting around 128 MB of RAM against 4,096 MB for Gluu Flex. Gluu Flex is the more established project (first released 2009), while Dex arrived in 2016. Dex has the considerably larger community, at 11,120 GitHub stars versus 31.
Why pick each one
Choose Dex if…
- Great Kubernetes integration
- Simple and reliable
Watch out for
- No user management of its own
Choose Gluu Flex if…
- Released under the Apache-2.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Kubernetes-ready with Helm charts available
- Written in TypeScript
Frequently asked questions
Is Dex or Gluu Flex better?
Dex is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler medium setup. Consider Gluu Flex if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are Dex and Gluu Flex free and open-source?
Yes. Dex is licensed under Apache-2.0 and Gluu Flex under Apache-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Dex and Gluu Flex with Docker?
Dex: yes. Gluu Flex: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Dex or Gluu Flex?
Dex has the smaller minimum footprint at 128 MB of RAM, compared to about 4,096 MB for Gluu Flex. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.