Ipsilon 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.
| Feature | Ipsilon | Janssen Project |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Read-the-docs project | Read-the-docs project |
| Category | Identity & SSO | Identity & SSO |
| License | GPL-3.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Language | Python | Java |
| Setup difficulty | Hard | Hard |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 4,096 MB |
| Deployment | bare-metal, source | kubernetes, helm |
| GitHub stars | ★ 80 | ★ 649 |
| First released | 2014 | 2020 |
| Replaces | Okta, PingFederate | Okta, Auth0 |
What are Ipsilon and Janssen Project?
Ipsilon
Ipsilon is an identity provider service that supports SAML and OpenID for federated single sign-on. It plugs into existing authentication backends like FreeIPA to centralize login for web applications.
- SAML identity provider
- OpenID support
- FreeIPA integration
- Pluggable backends
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
Ipsilon vs Janssen Project: key differences
Ipsilon is written in Python, while Janssen Project is built with Java. Licensing differs — GPL-3.0 for Ipsilon versus Apache-2.0 for Janssen Project. Ipsilon is the lighter option, starting around 512 MB of RAM against 4,096 MB for Janssen Project. Ipsilon is the more established project (first released 2014), while Janssen Project arrived in 2020. Janssen Project has the considerably larger community, at 649 GitHub stars versus 80.
Why pick each one
Choose Ipsilon if…
- Good FreeIPA companion
- Federation focused
Watch out for
- Small community
- Limited recent activity
Choose Janssen Project if…
- Standards complete
- Built for scale
Watch out for
- Complex to operate
- Heavy resource needs
Frequently asked questions
Is Ipsilon or Janssen Project better?
Neither is universally better. Janssen Project has the larger community; both share a hard setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Ipsilon and Janssen Project free and open-source?
Yes. Ipsilon is licensed under GPL-3.0 and Janssen Project under Apache-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Ipsilon and Janssen Project with Docker?
Ipsilon: check the project docs for container support. Janssen Project: check the project docs for container support.
Which is lighter on resources, Ipsilon or Janssen Project?
Ipsilon 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.