Gluu Flex vs Open Policy Agent
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?
Gluu Flex
Enterprise identity and access management platform
VS
Open Policy Agent
General-purpose policy engine for cloud-native stacks
| Feature | Gluu Flex | Open Policy Agent |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Identity & SSO | Identity & SSO |
| License | Apache-2.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Language | TypeScript | Go |
| Setup difficulty | Hard | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 4,096 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | docker, kubernetes, helm | docker, kubernetes, binary |
| GitHub stars | ★ 31 | ★ 12,086 |
| First released | 2009 | 2016 |
| Replaces | Okta, Ping Identity | AWS IAM policies |
Why pick each one
Choose Gluu Flex if…
- Released under the Apache-2.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Kubernetes-ready with Helm charts available
- Written in TypeScript
Choose Open Policy Agent if…
- Released under the Apache-2.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Kubernetes-ready with Helm charts available
- Mature project with 12.1k GitHub stars
Frequently asked questions
Is Gluu Flex or Open Policy Agent better?
Open Policy Agent is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler medium setup. Consider Gluu Flex if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are Gluu Flex and Open Policy Agent free and open-source?
Yes. Gluu Flex is licensed under Apache-2.0 and Open Policy Agent under Apache-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Gluu Flex and Open Policy Agent with Docker?
Gluu Flex: yes. Open Policy Agent: yes.