Keycloak vs Permify
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?
Keycloak
Open-source identity and access management for modern apps
VS
Permify
Open-source authorization service for fine-grained access
| Feature | Keycloak | Permify |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Identity & SSO | Identity & SSO |
| License | Apache-2.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Language | Java | Go |
| Setup difficulty | Hard | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 1,024 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | docker, kubernetes, bare-metal | docker, kubernetes, binary |
| GitHub stars | ★ 36,058 | ★ 5,933 |
| First released | 2014 | 2022 |
| Replaces | Okta, Auth0, Microsoft Entra ID | Auth0 FGA, OpenFGA |
Why pick each one
Choose Permify if…
- Released under the Apache-2.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Kubernetes-ready with Helm charts available
- Mature project with 5.9k GitHub stars
Frequently asked questions
Is Keycloak or Permify better?
Neither is universally better. Keycloak has the larger community, while Permify is simpler to set up (medium difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Keycloak and Permify free and open-source?
Yes. Keycloak is licensed under Apache-2.0 and Permify under Apache-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Keycloak and Permify with Docker?
Keycloak: yes. Permify: yes.