Dex 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 | Dex | OpenUnison |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Read-the-docs project |
| Health score | 90 · Excellent | 67 · Good |
| Category | Identity & SSO | Identity & SSO |
| License | Apache-2.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Language | Go | Less |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Hard |
| Min. RAM | 128 MB | 1,024 MB |
| Deployment | docker, kubernetes, binary | kubernetes, helm |
| GitHub stars | ★ 11,120 | ★ 136 |
| First released | 2016 | 2018 |
| Replaces | Okta, Auth0 | Okta |
What are Dex and OpenUnison?
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
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
Dex vs OpenUnison: key differences
Dex is written in Go, while OpenUnison is built with Less. Dex is the lighter option, starting around 128 MB of RAM against 1,024 MB for OpenUnison. Dex is the more established project (first released 2016), while OpenUnison arrived in 2018. Dex has the considerably larger community, at 11,120 GitHub stars versus 136. Dex lists first-class Docker deployment; OpenUnison does not.
Why pick each one
Choose Dex if…
- Great Kubernetes integration
- Simple and reliable
Watch out for
- No user management of its own
Choose OpenUnison if…
- Released under the Apache-2.0 license
- Kubernetes-ready with Helm charts available
- Written in Less
Frequently asked questions
Is Dex or OpenUnison better?
Dex 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 Dex and OpenUnison free and open-source?
Yes. Dex is licensed under Apache-2.0 and OpenUnison under Apache-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Dex and OpenUnison with Docker?
Dex: yes. OpenUnison: check the project docs for container support.
Which is lighter on resources, Dex or OpenUnison?
Dex has the smaller minimum footprint at 128 MB of RAM, compared to about 1,024 MB for OpenUnison. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.