SHSelfHostIndex

FreeIPA vs LLDAP

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?
FR FreeIPA Integrated identity management for Linux and Unix environments VS LL LLDAP Lightweight LDAP server with a simple web interface
FeatureFreeIPALLDAP
CategoryIdentity & SSOIdentity & SSO
LicenseGPL-3.0GPL-3.0
LanguagePythonRust
Setup difficultyHardEasy
Min. RAM2,048 MB64 MB
Deploymentbare-metal, sourcedocker, binary
GitHub stars★ 1,252★ 6,421
First released20082021
ReplacesActive DirectoryActive Directory, OpenLDAP

Why pick each one

Choose FreeIPA if…

  • All-in-one identity stack
  • Strong Linux integration
FreeIPA details

Choose LLDAP if…

  • Very easy to deploy
  • Lightweight Rust binary
LLDAP details

Frequently asked questions

Is FreeIPA or LLDAP better?

LLDAP is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler easy setup. Consider FreeIPA if its specific feature set fits your needs better.

Are FreeIPA and LLDAP free and open-source?

Yes. FreeIPA is licensed under GPL-3.0 and LLDAP under GPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.

Can I run FreeIPA and LLDAP with Docker?

FreeIPA: check the project docs for container support. LLDAP: yes.

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