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?
Kanidm Modern, simple and secure identity management server VS SH Shibboleth Identity Provider Standards-based SAML identity provider for federations
FeatureKanidmShibboleth Identity Provider
Deploy effortUnder-an-hour setupUnder-an-hour setup
CategoryIdentity & SSOIdentity & SSO
LicenseMPL-2.0Apache-2.0
LanguageRustJava
Setup difficultyMediumHard
Min. RAM256 MB1,024 MB
Deploymentdocker, binarybare-metal, docker, source
GitHub stars★ 5,404★ 200
First released20192003
ReplacesActive Directory, OktaOkta, Ping Identity

What are Kanidm and Shibboleth Identity Provider?

Kanidm

Kanidm is an identity management platform written in Rust, focused on simplicity, security and correctness. It provides authentication for web applications, Unix systems and LDAP-aware services.

  • OAuth2 and OpenID Connect provider
  • Passkey-first authentication
  • Unix and LDAP integration
  • Strong security defaults

Read the full Kanidm guide →

Shibboleth Identity Provider

The Shibboleth Identity Provider is an open-source SAML identity provider widely used in research and education federations. It enables secure single sign-on and attribute release across organizations.

  • SAML 2.0 identity provider
  • Attribute resolution and release policies
  • Federation metadata support
  • Used by academic federations worldwide

Kanidm vs Shibboleth Identity Provider: key differences

Kanidm is written in Rust, while Shibboleth Identity Provider is built with Java. Licensing differs — MPL-2.0 for Kanidm versus Apache-2.0 for Shibboleth Identity Provider. Kanidm is the lighter option, starting around 256 MB of RAM against 1,024 MB for Shibboleth Identity Provider. Shibboleth Identity Provider is the more established project (first released 2003), while Kanidm arrived in 2019. Kanidm has the considerably larger community, at 5,404 GitHub stars versus 200.

Why pick each one

Choose Kanidm if…

  • Memory safe and lightweight
  • Excellent passwordless support

Watch out for

  • Smaller ecosystem and tooling
Kanidm details

Choose Shibboleth Identity Provider if…

  • Gold standard for SAML federations
  • Highly configurable

Watch out for

  • Complex setup
  • SAML-centric
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.

Which is lighter on resources, Kanidm or Shibboleth Identity Provider?

Kanidm has the smaller minimum footprint at 256 MB of RAM, compared to about 1,024 MB for Shibboleth Identity Provider. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.

Related comparisons