SHSelfHostIndex

LemonLDAP::NG vs OpenUnison

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?
LE LemonLDAP::NG Web single sign-on and access management system VS OP OpenUnison Identity management and SSO portal for Kubernetes
FeatureLemonLDAP::NGOpenUnison
Deploy effortUnder-an-hour setupRead-the-docs project
Health score41 · Fair67 · Good
CategoryIdentity & SSOIdentity & SSO
LicenseGPL-2.0Apache-2.0
LanguagePerlLess
Setup difficultyHardHard
Min. RAM1,024 MB1,024 MB
Deploymentdocker, bare-metalkubernetes, helm
GitHub stars★ 84★ 136
First released20052018
ReplacesOkta, PingFederateOkta

What are LemonLDAP::NG and OpenUnison?

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

OpenUnison

OpenUnison is an open-source identity manager and single sign-on portal that integrates Kubernetes and applications with enterprise identity providers. It is self-hosted in the cluster.

  • Kubernetes SSO portal
  • Identity provisioning
  • LDAP and SAML integration
  • Self-service workflows

LemonLDAP::NG vs OpenUnison: key differences

LemonLDAP::NG is written in Perl, while OpenUnison is built with Less. Licensing differs — GPL-2.0 for LemonLDAP::NG versus Apache-2.0 for OpenUnison. LemonLDAP::NG is the more established project (first released 2005), while OpenUnison arrived in 2018. LemonLDAP::NG lists first-class Docker deployment; OpenUnison does not.

Why pick each one

Choose LemonLDAP::NG if…

  • Mature and full-featured
  • Many protocol options

Watch out for

  • Complex configuration
  • Perl stack is uncommon
LemonLDAP::NG details

Choose OpenUnison if…

  • Released under the Apache-2.0 license
  • Kubernetes-ready with Helm charts available
  • Written in Less
OpenUnison details

Frequently asked questions

Is LemonLDAP::NG or OpenUnison better?

Neither is universally better. OpenUnison has the larger community; both share a hard setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.

Are LemonLDAP::NG and OpenUnison free and open-source?

Yes. LemonLDAP::NG is licensed under GPL-2.0 and OpenUnison under Apache-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.

Can I run LemonLDAP::NG and OpenUnison with Docker?

LemonLDAP::NG: yes. OpenUnison: check the project docs for container support.

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