SHSelfHostIndex

Kanidm vs Shibboleth Identity Provider

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 SH Shibboleth Identity Provider Standards-based SAML identity provider for federations
FeatureKanidmShibboleth Identity Provider
CategoryIdentity & SSOIdentity & SSO
LicenseMPL-2.0Apache-2.0
LanguageRustJava
Setup difficultyMediumHard
Min. RAM256 MB1,024 MB
Deploymentdocker, binarybare-metal, docker, source
GitHub stars★ 5,214★ 200
First released20192003
ReplacesActive Directory, OktaOkta, Ping Identity

Why pick each one

Choose Kanidm if…

  • Memory safe and lightweight
  • Excellent passwordless support
Kanidm details

Choose Shibboleth Identity Provider if…

  • Gold standard for SAML federations
  • Highly configurable
Shibboleth Identity Provider details

Frequently asked questions

Is Kanidm or Shibboleth Identity Provider better?

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

Are Kanidm and Shibboleth Identity Provider free and open-source?

Yes. Kanidm is licensed under MPL-2.0 and Shibboleth Identity Provider under Apache-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.

Can I run Kanidm and Shibboleth Identity Provider with Docker?

Kanidm: yes. Shibboleth Identity Provider: yes.

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