SHSelfHostIndex

FusionAuth vs Shibboleth Identity Provider

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 SH Shibboleth Identity Provider Standards-based SAML identity provider for federations
FeatureFusionAuthShibboleth Identity Provider
Deploy effortUnder-an-hour setupUnder-an-hour setup
CategoryIdentity & SSOIdentity & SSO
LicenseApache-2.0Apache-2.0
LanguageDockerfileJava
Setup difficultyMediumHard
Min. RAM1,024 MB1,024 MB
Deploymentdocker, kubernetes, bare-metalbare-metal, docker, source
GitHub stars★ 241★ 200
First released20182003
ReplacesAuth0, OktaOkta, Ping Identity

What are FusionAuth and Shibboleth Identity Provider?

FusionAuth

FusionAuth is a self-hostable customer identity and access management platform supporting OAuth, OIDC, SAML, MFA, and user management. The community edition runs free on your own infrastructure.

  • OAuth, OIDC and SAML support
  • Multi-factor authentication
  • User and tenant management
  • Themable login pages

Shibboleth Identity Provider

The Shibboleth Identity Provider is an open-source SAML identity provider widely used in research and education federations. It enables secure single sign-on and attribute release across organizations.

  • SAML 2.0 identity provider
  • Attribute resolution and release policies
  • Federation metadata support
  • Used by academic federations worldwide

FusionAuth vs Shibboleth Identity Provider: key differences

FusionAuth is written in Dockerfile, while Shibboleth Identity Provider is built with Java. Shibboleth Identity Provider is the more established project (first released 2003), while FusionAuth arrived in 2018.

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
FusionAuth details

Choose Shibboleth Identity Provider if…

  • Gold standard for SAML federations
  • Highly configurable

Watch out for

  • Complex setup
  • SAML-centric
Shibboleth Identity Provider details

Frequently asked questions

Is FusionAuth or Shibboleth Identity Provider better?

FusionAuth is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler medium setup. Consider Shibboleth Identity Provider if its specific feature set fits your needs better.

Are FusionAuth and Shibboleth Identity Provider free and open-source?

Yes. FusionAuth is licensed under Apache-2.0 and Shibboleth Identity Provider under Apache-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.

Can I run FusionAuth and Shibboleth Identity Provider with Docker?

FusionAuth: yes. Shibboleth Identity Provider: yes.

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