LemonLDAP::NG vs ZITADEL
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted identity & sso options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
ZITADEL
Cloud-native identity infrastructure with multi-tenancy built
| Feature | LemonLDAP::NG | ZITADEL |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 41 · Fair | 95 · Excellent |
| Category | Identity & SSO | Identity & SSO |
| License | GPL-2.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Language | Perl | Go |
| Setup difficulty | Hard | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 1,024 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal | docker, kubernetes, binary |
| GitHub stars | ★ 84 | ★ 15,083 |
| First released | 2005 | 2020 |
| Replaces | Okta, PingFederate | Auth0, Okta, Firebase Auth |
What are LemonLDAP::NG and ZITADEL?
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
ZITADEL
ZITADEL is an open-source identity and access management platform built for multi-tenant applications. It offers OpenID Connect, OAuth2, SAML, passwordless login and a powerful management API.
- Multi-tenancy as a first-class concept
- Passwordless and FIDO2 authentication
- Event-sourced audit trail
- Comprehensive gRPC and REST APIs
LemonLDAP::NG vs ZITADEL: key differences
LemonLDAP::NG is written in Perl, while ZITADEL is built with Go. Licensing differs — GPL-2.0 for LemonLDAP::NG versus Apache-2.0 for ZITADEL. ZITADEL is the lighter option, starting around 512 MB of RAM against 1,024 MB for LemonLDAP::NG. LemonLDAP::NG is the more established project (first released 2005), while ZITADEL arrived in 2020. ZITADEL has the considerably larger community, at 15,083 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 ZITADEL if…
- Strong multi-tenant model
- Modern Go codebase
Watch out for
- Smaller community than Keycloak
Frequently asked questions
Is LemonLDAP::NG or ZITADEL better?
ZITADEL is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler medium setup. Consider LemonLDAP::NG if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are LemonLDAP::NG and ZITADEL free and open-source?
Yes. LemonLDAP::NG is licensed under GPL-2.0 and ZITADEL under Apache-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run LemonLDAP::NG and ZITADEL with Docker?
LemonLDAP::NG: yes. ZITADEL: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, LemonLDAP::NG or ZITADEL?
ZITADEL has the smaller minimum footprint at 512 MB of RAM, compared to about 1,024 MB for LemonLDAP::NG. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.