Gluu Flex vs SimpleSAMLphp
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 | SimpleSAMLphp |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 69 · Good | 83 · Excellent |
| Category | Identity & SSO | Identity & SSO |
| License | Apache-2.0 | LGPL-2.1 |
| Language | TypeScript | PHP |
| Setup difficulty | Hard | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 4,096 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | docker, kubernetes, helm | bare-metal, source, docker |
| GitHub stars | ★ 31 | ★ 1,142 |
| First released | 2009 | 2007 |
| Replaces | Okta, Ping Identity | Okta, PingFederate |
What are Gluu Flex and SimpleSAMLphp?
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
SimpleSAMLphp
SimpleSAMLphp is a widely used PHP application for implementing SAML 2.0 identity and service providers. It enables web single sign-on and federation for PHP environments and beyond.
- SAML 2.0 IdP and SP
- Identity federation
- Many auth backends
- Module ecosystem
Gluu Flex vs SimpleSAMLphp: key differences
Gluu Flex is written in TypeScript, while SimpleSAMLphp is built with PHP. Licensing differs — Apache-2.0 for Gluu Flex versus LGPL-2.1 for SimpleSAMLphp. SimpleSAMLphp is the lighter option, starting around 256 MB of RAM against 4,096 MB for Gluu Flex. SimpleSAMLphp is the more established project (first released 2007), while Gluu Flex arrived in 2009. SimpleSAMLphp has the considerably larger community, at 1,142 GitHub stars versus 31.
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 SimpleSAMLphp if…
- Proven and widely deployed
- Flexible modules
Watch out for
- Configuration is intricate
- PHP performance limits
Frequently asked questions
Is Gluu Flex or SimpleSAMLphp better?
SimpleSAMLphp 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 SimpleSAMLphp free and open-source?
Yes. Gluu Flex is licensed under Apache-2.0 and SimpleSAMLphp under LGPL-2.1. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Gluu Flex and SimpleSAMLphp with Docker?
Gluu Flex: yes. SimpleSAMLphp: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Gluu Flex or SimpleSAMLphp?
SimpleSAMLphp has the smaller minimum footprint at 256 MB of RAM, compared to about 4,096 MB for Gluu Flex. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.