Janssen Project vs Logto
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted identity & sso options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | Janssen Project | Logto |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Read-the-docs project | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 80 · Excellent | 94 · Excellent |
| Category | Identity & SSO | Identity & SSO |
| License | Apache-2.0 | MPL-2.0 |
| Language | Java | TypeScript |
| Setup difficulty | Hard | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 4,096 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | kubernetes, helm | docker, kubernetes, binary |
| GitHub stars | ★ 649 | ★ 14,621 |
| First released | 2020 | 2022 |
| Replaces | Okta, Auth0 | Auth0, Firebase Auth, Clerk |
What are Janssen Project and Logto?
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
Logto
Logto is an open-source identity solution built for developers, offering passwordless sign-in, social login and enterprise SSO. It provides prebuilt sign-in experiences and SDKs for many frameworks.
- Prebuilt customizable sign-in experiences
- Passwordless and social authentication
- Multi-framework SDKs
- Role-based access control
Janssen Project vs Logto: key differences
Janssen Project is written in Java, while Logto is built with TypeScript. Licensing differs — Apache-2.0 for Janssen Project versus MPL-2.0 for Logto. Logto 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 Logto arrived in 2022. Logto has the considerably larger community, at 14,621 GitHub stars versus 649. Logto 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 Logto if…
- Great developer experience
- Modern UI and SDKs
Watch out for
- Younger project with evolving APIs
Frequently asked questions
Is Janssen Project or Logto better?
Logto 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 Logto free and open-source?
Yes. Janssen Project is licensed under Apache-2.0 and Logto under MPL-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Janssen Project and Logto with Docker?
Janssen Project: check the project docs for container support. Logto: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Janssen Project or Logto?
Logto 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.