Kanidm vs Pocket ID
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?
Kanidm
Modern, simple and secure identity management server
VS
Pocket ID
Simple OIDC provider that uses only passkeys
| Feature | Kanidm | Pocket ID |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Identity & SSO | Identity & SSO |
| License | MPL-2.0 | BSD-2-Clause |
| Language | Rust | Go |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 128 MB |
| Deployment | docker, binary | docker |
| GitHub stars | ★ 5,214 | ★ 8,737 |
| First released | 2019 | 2024 |
| Replaces | Active Directory, Okta | Auth0, Authelia |
Why pick each one
Choose Pocket ID if…
- Released under the BSD-2-Clause license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Mature project with 8.7k GitHub stars
Frequently asked questions
Is Kanidm or Pocket ID better?
Pocket ID 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 Pocket ID free and open-source?
Yes. Kanidm is licensed under MPL-2.0 and Pocket ID under BSD-2-Clause. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Kanidm and Pocket ID with Docker?
Kanidm: yes. Pocket ID: yes.