Gluu Flex vs OpenUnison
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted identity & sso options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | Gluu Flex | OpenUnison |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Read-the-docs project |
| Health score | 69 · Good | 67 · Good |
| Category | Identity & SSO | Identity & SSO |
| License | Apache-2.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Language | TypeScript | Less |
| Setup difficulty | Hard | Hard |
| Min. RAM | 4,096 MB | 1,024 MB |
| Deployment | docker, kubernetes, helm | kubernetes, helm |
| GitHub stars | ★ 31 | ★ 136 |
| First released | 2009 | 2018 |
| Replaces | Okta, Ping Identity | Okta |
What are Gluu Flex and OpenUnison?
Gluu Flex
Gluu provides a self-hostable identity platform for single sign-on, multi-factor authentication, and access management built on open standards. It supports OAuth, OIDC, SAML, and FIDO2.
- Single sign-on
- OAuth, OIDC and SAML
- FIDO2 strong authentication
- Kubernetes deployment
OpenUnison
OpenUnison is an open-source identity manager and single sign-on portal that integrates Kubernetes and applications with enterprise identity providers. It is self-hosted in the cluster.
- Kubernetes SSO portal
- Identity provisioning
- LDAP and SAML integration
- Self-service workflows
Gluu Flex vs OpenUnison: key differences
Gluu Flex is written in TypeScript, while OpenUnison is built with Less. OpenUnison is the lighter option, starting around 1,024 MB of RAM against 4,096 MB for Gluu Flex. Gluu Flex is the more established project (first released 2009), while OpenUnison arrived in 2018. OpenUnison has the considerably larger community, at 136 GitHub stars versus 31. Gluu Flex lists first-class Docker deployment; OpenUnison does not.
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 OpenUnison if…
- Released under the Apache-2.0 license
- Kubernetes-ready with Helm charts available
- Written in Less
Frequently asked questions
Is Gluu Flex or OpenUnison better?
Neither is universally better. OpenUnison has the larger community; both share a hard setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Gluu Flex and OpenUnison free and open-source?
Yes. Gluu Flex is licensed under Apache-2.0 and OpenUnison under Apache-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Gluu Flex and OpenUnison with Docker?
Gluu Flex: yes. OpenUnison: check the project docs for container support.
Which is lighter on resources, Gluu Flex or OpenUnison?
OpenUnison has the smaller minimum footprint at 1,024 MB of RAM, compared to about 4,096 MB for Gluu Flex. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.