SAML Jackson vs Rauthy
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted identity & sso options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Rauthy
Lightweight OpenID Connect provider written in Rust
| Feature | SAML Jackson | Rauthy |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 80 · Excellent | 84 · Excellent |
| Category | Identity & SSO | Identity & SSO |
| License | Apache-2.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Language | TypeScript | Rust |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 128 MB |
| Deployment | docker | docker, binary |
| GitHub stars | ★ 2,266 | ★ 1,339 |
| First released | 2022 | 2023 |
| Replaces | Auth0, WorkOS | Keycloak, Auth0 |
What are SAML Jackson and Rauthy?
SAML Jackson
BoxyHQ Jackson (SAML Jackson) is a self-hosted service that abstracts SAML and OIDC enterprise single sign-on behind a simple OAuth 2.0 API. It lets apps add enterprise SSO without per-provider code.
- SAML and OIDC abstraction
- OAuth 2.0 API
- Directory sync (SCIM)
- Self-hostable
Rauthy
Rauthy is an open-source, security-focused OpenID Connect provider and single sign-on solution written in Rust. It is designed to be lightweight and fully self-hosted with minimal resource usage.
- Lightweight OIDC provider
- Passkey support
- Low memory footprint
- Single binary option
SAML Jackson vs Rauthy: key differences
SAML Jackson is written in TypeScript, while Rauthy is built with Rust. Rauthy is the lighter option, starting around 128 MB of RAM against 512 MB for SAML Jackson.
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
Choose Rauthy if…
- Released under the Apache-2.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Active community (1.3k GitHub stars)
- Written in Rust
Frequently asked questions
Is SAML Jackson or Rauthy better?
Neither is universally better. SAML Jackson has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are SAML Jackson and Rauthy free and open-source?
Yes. SAML Jackson is licensed under Apache-2.0 and Rauthy under Apache-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run SAML Jackson and Rauthy with Docker?
SAML Jackson: yes. Rauthy: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, SAML Jackson or Rauthy?
Rauthy has the smaller minimum footprint at 128 MB of RAM, compared to about 512 MB for SAML Jackson. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.