SAML Jackson vs Ory Hydra
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?
SAML Jackson
SAML and OIDC SSO service bridging enterprise providers
VS
Ory Hydra
Certified OAuth 2.0 and OpenID Connect server
| Feature | SAML Jackson | Ory Hydra |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Identity & SSO | Identity & SSO |
| License | Apache-2.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Language | TypeScript | Go |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Hard |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | docker | docker, kubernetes, binary |
| GitHub stars | ★ 2,257 | ★ 17,462 |
| First released | 2022 | 2015 |
| Replaces | Auth0, WorkOS | Okta, Auth0 |
Why pick each one
Choose SAML Jackson if…
- Released under the Apache-2.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Active community (2.3k GitHub stars)
- Written in TypeScript
Frequently asked questions
Is SAML Jackson or Ory Hydra better?
Neither is universally better. Ory Hydra has the larger community, while SAML Jackson is simpler to set up (medium difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are SAML Jackson and Ory Hydra free and open-source?
Yes. SAML Jackson is licensed under Apache-2.0 and Ory Hydra under Apache-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run SAML Jackson and Ory Hydra with Docker?
SAML Jackson: yes. Ory Hydra: yes.