FusionAuth vs Keycloak
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?
FusionAuth
Complete authentication and authorization platform
VS
Keycloak
Open-source identity and access management for modern apps
| Feature | FusionAuth | Keycloak |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Identity & SSO | Identity & SSO |
| License | Apache-2.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Language | Dockerfile | Java |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Hard |
| Min. RAM | 1,024 MB | 1,024 MB |
| Deployment | docker, kubernetes, bare-metal | docker, kubernetes, bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 241 | ★ 36,058 |
| First released | 2018 | 2014 |
| Replaces | Auth0, Okta | Okta, Auth0, Microsoft Entra ID |
Why pick each one
Choose FusionAuth if…
- Released under the Apache-2.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Kubernetes-ready with Helm charts available
- Written in Dockerfile
Frequently asked questions
Is FusionAuth or Keycloak better?
Neither is universally better. Keycloak has the larger community, while FusionAuth is simpler to set up (medium difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are FusionAuth and Keycloak free and open-source?
Yes. FusionAuth is licensed under Apache-2.0 and Keycloak under Apache-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run FusionAuth and Keycloak with Docker?
FusionAuth: yes. Keycloak: yes.