Hanko vs Janssen Project
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted identity & sso options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Hanko
Passkey-first authentication for modern applications
VS
Janssen Project
Cloud-native identity and access management platform
| Feature | Hanko | Janssen Project |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Read-the-docs project |
| Health score | 92 · Excellent | 80 · Excellent |
| Category | Identity & SSO | Identity & SSO |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Language | Go | Java |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Hard |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 4,096 MB |
| Deployment | docker, binary | kubernetes, helm |
| GitHub stars | ★ 9,036 | ★ 649 |
| First released | 2022 | 2020 |
| Replaces | Auth0, Clerk | Okta, Auth0 |
What are Hanko and Janssen Project?
Hanko
Hanko is an open-source authentication solution built around passkeys and passwordless login. It can be self-hosted to provide modern, phishing-resistant authentication to web and mobile applications.
- Passkey-first login
- Passwordless flows
- Embeddable web component
- Self-hosted API
Janssen Project
The Janssen Project is a Linux Foundation effort delivering a scalable, cloud-native identity and access management platform. It implements OpenID Connect, OAuth 2.0, and FIDO standards for authentication and authorization.
- OpenID Connect provider
- OAuth 2.0 server
- FIDO2 and passkeys
- Cloud-native deployment
Hanko vs Janssen Project: key differences
Hanko is written in Go, while Janssen Project is built with Java. Licensing differs — AGPL-3.0 for Hanko versus Apache-2.0 for Janssen Project. Hanko is the lighter option, starting around 512 MB of RAM against 4,096 MB for Janssen Project. Janssen Project is the more established project (first released 2020), while Hanko arrived in 2022. Hanko has the considerably larger community, at 9,036 GitHub stars versus 649. Hanko lists first-class Docker deployment; Janssen Project does not.
Why pick each one
Choose Hanko if…
- Released under the AGPL-3.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Mature project with 9k GitHub stars
- Written in Go
Choose Janssen Project if…
- Standards complete
- Built for scale
Watch out for
- Complex to operate
- Heavy resource needs
Frequently asked questions
Is Hanko or Janssen Project better?
Hanko is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler medium setup. Consider Janssen Project if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are Hanko and Janssen Project free and open-source?
Yes. Hanko is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and Janssen Project under Apache-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Hanko and Janssen Project with Docker?
Hanko: yes. Janssen Project: check the project docs for container support.
Which is lighter on resources, Hanko or Janssen Project?
Hanko has the smaller minimum footprint at 512 MB of RAM, compared to about 4,096 MB for Janssen Project. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.