node-oidc-provider vs Ory Oathkeeper
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?
node-oidc-provider
Certified OpenID Connect and OAuth 2.0 provider for Node.js
VS
Ory Oathkeeper
Identity and access proxy for zero-trust networks
| Feature | node-oidc-provider | Ory Oathkeeper |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Identity & SSO | Identity & SSO |
| License | MIT | Apache-2.0 |
| Language | JavaScript | Go |
| Setup difficulty | Hard | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | source, docker | docker, kubernetes, binary |
| GitHub stars | ★ 3,788 | ★ 3,590 |
| First released | 2016 | 2017 |
| Replaces | Auth0, Okta | Cloudflare Access |
Why pick each one
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
Choose Ory Oathkeeper if…
- Released under the Apache-2.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Kubernetes-ready with Helm charts available
- Active community (3.6k GitHub stars)
Frequently asked questions
Is node-oidc-provider or Ory Oathkeeper better?
Neither is universally better. node-oidc-provider has the larger community, while Ory Oathkeeper is simpler to set up (medium difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are node-oidc-provider and Ory Oathkeeper free and open-source?
Yes. node-oidc-provider is licensed under MIT and Ory Oathkeeper under Apache-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run node-oidc-provider and Ory Oathkeeper with Docker?
node-oidc-provider: yes. Ory Oathkeeper: yes.