SHSelfHostIndex

Kanidm vs OpenLDAP

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 OP OpenLDAP The classic open-source Lightweight Directory Access Protocol server
FeatureKanidmOpenLDAP
CategoryIdentity & SSOIdentity & SSO
LicenseMPL-2.0OLDAP-2.8
LanguageRustC
Setup difficultyMediumHard
Min. RAM256 MB128 MB
Deploymentdocker, binarydocker, bare-metal, source
GitHub stars★ 5,214★ 400
First released20191998
ReplacesActive Directory, OktaActive Directory

Why pick each one

Choose Kanidm if…

  • Memory safe and lightweight
  • Excellent passwordless support
Kanidm details

Choose OpenLDAP if…

  • Extremely mature and stable
  • Universally compatible
OpenLDAP details

Frequently asked questions

Is Kanidm or OpenLDAP better?

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

Are Kanidm and OpenLDAP free and open-source?

Yes. Kanidm is licensed under MPL-2.0 and OpenLDAP under OLDAP-2.8. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.

Can I run Kanidm and OpenLDAP with Docker?

Kanidm: yes. OpenLDAP: yes.

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