GLAuth vs LLDAP
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted identity & sso options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
LLDAP
Lightweight LDAP server with a simple web interface
| Feature | GLAuth | LLDAP |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 87 · Excellent | 89 · Excellent |
| Category | Identity & SSO | Identity & SSO |
| License | MIT | GPL-3.0 |
| Language | Go | Rust |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 64 MB | 64 MB |
| Deployment | docker, binary | docker, binary |
| GitHub stars | ★ 2,852 | ★ 6,512 |
| First released | 2017 | 2021 |
| Replaces | Microsoft Active Directory, OpenLDAP | Active Directory, OpenLDAP |
What are GLAuth and LLDAP?
GLAuth
GLAuth is a secure, easy-to-use LDAP server that reads users and groups from simple config files or backends. It provides LDAP authentication for applications without the complexity of OpenLDAP.
- Config-file driven LDAP
- Pluggable backends
- Tiny footprint
- Easy to deploy
LLDAP
LLDAP is a lightweight authentication server providing a simplified, opinionated LDAP interface. It is designed to be easy to set up and manage, with a clean web UI for users and groups.
- Minimal LDAP for self-hosters
- Friendly web UI for user management
- Tiny memory and CPU footprint
- Works with many self-hosted apps
GLAuth vs LLDAP: key differences
GLAuth is written in Go, while LLDAP is built with Rust. Licensing differs — MIT for GLAuth versus GPL-3.0 for LLDAP. GLAuth is the more established project (first released 2017), while LLDAP arrived in 2021. LLDAP has the considerably larger community, at 6,512 GitHub stars versus 2,852.
Why pick each one
Choose GLAuth if…
- Very simple to run
- Great for homelabs
Watch out for
- Not a full directory
- Limited write support
Choose LLDAP if…
- Very easy to deploy
- Lightweight Rust binary
Watch out for
- Not a full LDAP implementation
Frequently asked questions
Is GLAuth or LLDAP better?
Neither is universally better. LLDAP has the larger community; both share a easy setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are GLAuth and LLDAP free and open-source?
Yes. GLAuth is licensed under MIT and LLDAP under GPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run GLAuth and LLDAP with Docker?
GLAuth: yes. LLDAP: yes.