Kanidm vs SpiceDB
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
SpiceDB
Open-source Zanzibar-inspired permissions database
| Feature | Kanidm | SpiceDB |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Identity & SSO | Identity & SSO |
| License | MPL-2.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Language | Rust | Go |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Hard |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | docker, binary | docker, kubernetes, binary |
| GitHub stars | ★ 5,214 | ★ 6,947 |
| First released | 2019 | 2021 |
| Replaces | Active Directory, Okta | Auth0 FGA, OpenFGA |
Why pick each one
Choose SpiceDB if…
- Released under the Apache-2.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Kubernetes-ready with Helm charts available
- Mature project with 6.9k GitHub stars
Frequently asked questions
Is Kanidm or SpiceDB better?
Neither is universally better. SpiceDB has the larger community, while Kanidm is simpler to set up (medium difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Kanidm and SpiceDB free and open-source?
Yes. Kanidm is licensed under MPL-2.0 and SpiceDB under Apache-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Kanidm and SpiceDB with Docker?
Kanidm: yes. SpiceDB: yes.