LemonLDAP::NG vs node-oidc-provider
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted identity & sso options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | LemonLDAP::NG | node-oidc-provider |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 41 · Fair | 88 · Excellent |
| Category | Identity & SSO | Identity & SSO |
| License | GPL-2.0 | MIT |
| Language | Perl | JavaScript |
| Setup difficulty | Hard | Hard |
| Min. RAM | 1,024 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal | source, docker |
| GitHub stars | ★ 84 | ★ 3,816 |
| First released | 2005 | 2016 |
| Replaces | Okta, PingFederate | Auth0, Okta |
What are LemonLDAP::NG and node-oidc-provider?
LemonLDAP::NG
LemonLDAP::NG is an open-source Web SSO, access management, and identity federation product. It supports SAML, OpenID Connect, and CAS, and protects web applications behind a configurable portal.
- Web SSO portal
- SAML and OIDC support
- CAS protocol
- Fine-grained access rules
node-oidc-provider
node-oidc-provider is an open-source, certified OpenID Connect and OAuth 2.0 provider implementation for Node.js. It can be self-hosted to issue tokens and act as an identity provider for applications.
- Certified OIDC provider
- OAuth 2.0 support
- Embeddable in Node apps
- Standards compliant
LemonLDAP::NG vs node-oidc-provider: key differences
LemonLDAP::NG is written in Perl, while node-oidc-provider is built with JavaScript. Licensing differs — GPL-2.0 for LemonLDAP::NG versus MIT for node-oidc-provider. Node-oidc-provider is the lighter option, starting around 256 MB of RAM against 1,024 MB for LemonLDAP::NG. LemonLDAP::NG is the more established project (first released 2005), while node-oidc-provider arrived in 2016. Node-oidc-provider has the considerably larger community, at 3,816 GitHub stars versus 84.
Why pick each one
Choose LemonLDAP::NG if…
- Mature and full-featured
- Many protocol options
Watch out for
- Complex configuration
- Perl stack is uncommon
Choose node-oidc-provider if…
- Released under the MIT license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Active community (3.8k GitHub stars)
- Written in JavaScript
Frequently asked questions
Is LemonLDAP::NG or node-oidc-provider better?
Neither is universally better. node-oidc-provider has the larger community; both share a hard setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are LemonLDAP::NG and node-oidc-provider free and open-source?
Yes. LemonLDAP::NG is licensed under GPL-2.0 and node-oidc-provider under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run LemonLDAP::NG and node-oidc-provider with Docker?
LemonLDAP::NG: yes. node-oidc-provider: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, LemonLDAP::NG or node-oidc-provider?
node-oidc-provider has the smaller minimum footprint at 256 MB of RAM, compared to about 1,024 MB for LemonLDAP::NG. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.