SHSelfHostIndex

WSO2 Identity Server vs Kanidm

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?
WS WSO2 Identity Server Open-source identity and access management server VS KA Kanidm Modern, simple and secure identity management server
FeatureWSO2 Identity ServerKanidm
CategoryIdentity & SSOIdentity & SSO
LicenseApache-2.0MPL-2.0
LanguageJavaRust
Setup difficultyHardMedium
Min. RAM4,096 MB256 MB
Deploymentdocker, kubernetes, bare-metaldocker, binary
GitHub stars★ 870★ 5,214
First released20072019
ReplacesOkta, ForgeRockActive Directory, Okta

Why pick each one

Choose WSO2 Identity Server if…

  • Enterprise feature set
  • Strong standards coverage
WSO2 Identity Server details

Choose Kanidm if…

  • Memory safe and lightweight
  • Excellent passwordless support
Kanidm details

Frequently asked questions

Is WSO2 Identity Server or Kanidm better?

Kanidm is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler medium setup. Consider WSO2 Identity Server if its specific feature set fits your needs better.

Are WSO2 Identity Server and Kanidm free and open-source?

Yes. WSO2 Identity Server is licensed under Apache-2.0 and Kanidm under MPL-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.

Can I run WSO2 Identity Server and Kanidm with Docker?

WSO2 Identity Server: yes. Kanidm: yes.

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