Dex 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.
| Feature | Dex | SAML Jackson |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 90 · Excellent | 80 · Excellent |
| Category | Identity & SSO | Identity & SSO |
| License | Apache-2.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Language | Go | TypeScript |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 128 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | docker, kubernetes, binary | docker |
| GitHub stars | ★ 11,112 | ★ 2,265 |
| First released | 2016 | 2022 |
| Replaces | Okta, Auth0 | Auth0, WorkOS |
What are Dex and SAML Jackson?
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
SAML Jackson
BoxyHQ Jackson (SAML Jackson) is a self-hosted service that abstracts SAML and OIDC enterprise single sign-on behind a simple OAuth 2.0 API. It lets apps add enterprise SSO without per-provider code.
- SAML and OIDC abstraction
- OAuth 2.0 API
- Directory sync (SCIM)
- Self-hostable
Dex vs SAML Jackson: key differences
Dex is written in Go, while SAML Jackson is built with TypeScript. Dex is the lighter option, starting around 128 MB of RAM against 512 MB for SAML Jackson. Dex is the more established project (first released 2016), while SAML Jackson arrived in 2022. Dex has the considerably larger community, at 11,112 GitHub stars versus 2,265.
Why pick each one
Choose Dex if…
- Great Kubernetes integration
- Simple and reliable
Watch out for
- No user management of its own
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 Dex or SAML Jackson better?
Neither is universally better. Dex has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Dex and SAML Jackson free and open-source?
Yes. Dex 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 Dex and SAML Jackson with Docker?
Dex: yes. SAML Jackson: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Dex or SAML Jackson?
Dex has the smaller minimum footprint at 128 MB of RAM, compared to about 512 MB for SAML Jackson. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.