Keycloak vs Vouch Proxy
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
Vouch Proxy
SSO authentication helper for reverse proxies
| Feature | Keycloak | Vouch Proxy |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Identity & SSO | Identity & SSO |
| License | Apache-2.0 | MIT |
| Language | Java | Go |
| Setup difficulty | Hard | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 1,024 MB | 64 MB |
| Deployment | docker, kubernetes, bare-metal | docker, binary |
| GitHub stars | ★ 36,058 | ★ 3,278 |
| First released | 2014 | 2017 |
| Replaces | Okta, Auth0, Microsoft Entra ID | Okta Access Gateway |
Why pick each one
Frequently asked questions
Is Keycloak or Vouch Proxy better?
Neither is universally better. Keycloak has the larger community, while Vouch Proxy is simpler to set up (medium difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Keycloak and Vouch Proxy free and open-source?
Yes. Keycloak is licensed under Apache-2.0 and Vouch Proxy under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Keycloak and Vouch Proxy with Docker?
Keycloak: yes. Vouch Proxy: yes.