SHSelfHostIndex

Janssen Project vs WSO2 Identity Server

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?
JA Janssen Project Cloud-native identity and access management platform VS WS WSO2 Identity Server Open-source identity and access management server
FeatureJanssen ProjectWSO2 Identity Server
Deploy effortRead-the-docs projectUnder-an-hour setup
Health score80 · Excellent80 · Excellent
CategoryIdentity & SSOIdentity & SSO
LicenseApache-2.0Apache-2.0
LanguageJavaJava
Setup difficultyHardHard
Min. RAM4,096 MB4,096 MB
Deploymentkubernetes, helmdocker, kubernetes, bare-metal
GitHub stars★ 649★ 880
First released20202007
ReplacesOkta, Auth0Okta, ForgeRock

What are Janssen Project and WSO2 Identity Server?

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

WSO2 Identity Server

WSO2 Identity Server is an open-source IAM product that provides single sign-on, identity federation, and strong authentication. It supports SAML, OpenID Connect, and adaptive authentication policies.

  • Single sign-on
  • Identity federation
  • Adaptive authentication
  • Standards support

Janssen Project vs WSO2 Identity Server: key differences

Both projects are written in Java. WSO2 Identity Server is the more established project (first released 2007), while Janssen Project arrived in 2020. WSO2 Identity Server 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
Janssen Project details

Choose WSO2 Identity Server if…

  • Enterprise feature set
  • Strong standards coverage

Watch out for

  • Resource heavy
  • Complex tuning
WSO2 Identity Server details

Frequently asked questions

Is Janssen Project or WSO2 Identity Server better?

Neither is universally better. WSO2 Identity Server has the larger community; both share a hard setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.

Are Janssen Project and WSO2 Identity Server free and open-source?

Yes. Janssen Project is licensed under Apache-2.0 and WSO2 Identity Server under Apache-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.

Can I run Janssen Project and WSO2 Identity Server with Docker?

Janssen Project: check the project docs for container support. WSO2 Identity Server: yes.

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