SHSelfHostIndex

Kanidm vs LLDAP

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?
KA Kanidm Modern, simple and secure identity management server VS LL LLDAP Lightweight LDAP server with a simple web interface
FeatureKanidmLLDAP
CategoryIdentity & SSOIdentity & SSO
LicenseMPL-2.0GPL-3.0
LanguageRustRust
Setup difficultyMediumEasy
Min. RAM256 MB64 MB
Deploymentdocker, binarydocker, binary
GitHub stars★ 5,214★ 6,421
First released20192021
ReplacesActive Directory, OktaActive Directory, OpenLDAP

Why pick each one

Choose Kanidm if…

  • Memory safe and lightweight
  • Excellent passwordless support
Kanidm details

Choose LLDAP if…

  • Very easy to deploy
  • Lightweight Rust binary
LLDAP details

Frequently asked questions

Is Kanidm or LLDAP better?

LLDAP is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler easy setup. Consider Kanidm if its specific feature set fits your needs better.

Are Kanidm and LLDAP free and open-source?

Yes. Kanidm is licensed under MPL-2.0 and LLDAP under GPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.

Can I run Kanidm and LLDAP with Docker?

Kanidm: yes. LLDAP: yes.

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