Janssen Project vs Kanidm
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted identity & sso options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Kanidm
Modern, simple and secure identity management server
| Feature | Janssen Project | Kanidm |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Read-the-docs project | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 80 · Excellent | 90 · Excellent |
| Category | Identity & SSO | Identity & SSO |
| License | Apache-2.0 | MPL-2.0 |
| Language | Java | Rust |
| Setup difficulty | Hard | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 4,096 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | kubernetes, helm | docker, binary |
| GitHub stars | ★ 649 | ★ 5,404 |
| First released | 2020 | 2019 |
| Replaces | Okta, Auth0 | Active Directory, Okta |
What are Janssen Project and Kanidm?
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
Kanidm
Kanidm is an identity management platform written in Rust, focused on simplicity, security and correctness. It provides authentication for web applications, Unix systems and LDAP-aware services.
- OAuth2 and OpenID Connect provider
- Passkey-first authentication
- Unix and LDAP integration
- Strong security defaults
Janssen Project vs Kanidm: key differences
Janssen Project is written in Java, while Kanidm is built with Rust. Licensing differs — Apache-2.0 for Janssen Project versus MPL-2.0 for Kanidm. Kanidm is the lighter option, starting around 256 MB of RAM against 4,096 MB for Janssen Project. Kanidm has the considerably larger community, at 5,404 GitHub stars versus 649. Kanidm lists first-class Docker deployment; Janssen Project does not.
Why pick each one
Choose Janssen Project if…
- Standards complete
- Built for scale
Watch out for
- Complex to operate
- Heavy resource needs
Choose Kanidm if…
- Memory safe and lightweight
- Excellent passwordless support
Watch out for
- Smaller ecosystem and tooling
Frequently asked questions
Is Janssen Project or Kanidm better?
Kanidm 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 Janssen Project and Kanidm free and open-source?
Yes. Janssen Project is licensed under Apache-2.0 and Kanidm under MPL-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Janssen Project and Kanidm with Docker?
Janssen Project: check the project docs for container support. Kanidm: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Janssen Project or Kanidm?
Kanidm has the smaller minimum footprint at 256 MB of RAM, compared to about 4,096 MB for Janssen Project. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.