Keywhiz vs Open Policy Agent
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?
Keywhiz
Secret management and distribution system
VS
Open Policy Agent
General-purpose policy engine for cloud-native stacks
| Feature | Keywhiz | Open Policy Agent |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Identity & SSO | Identity & SSO |
| License | Apache-2.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Language | Java | Go |
| Setup difficulty | Hard | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | docker, source | docker, kubernetes, binary |
| GitHub stars | ★ 2,625 | ★ 12,086 |
| First released | 2015 | 2016 |
| Replaces | HashiCorp Vault | AWS IAM policies |
Why pick each one
Choose Keywhiz if…
- Released under the Apache-2.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Active community (2.6k GitHub stars)
- Written in Java
Choose Open Policy Agent if…
- Released under the Apache-2.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Kubernetes-ready with Helm charts available
- Mature project with 12.1k GitHub stars
Frequently asked questions
Is Keywhiz or Open Policy Agent better?
Open Policy Agent is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler medium setup. Consider Keywhiz if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are Keywhiz and Open Policy Agent free and open-source?
Yes. Keywhiz is licensed under Apache-2.0 and Open Policy Agent under Apache-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Keywhiz and Open Policy Agent with Docker?
Keywhiz: yes. Open Policy Agent: yes.