SHSelfHostIndex

OpenUnison vs Shibboleth Identity Provider

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?
OP OpenUnison Identity management and SSO portal for Kubernetes VS SH Shibboleth Identity Provider Standards-based SAML identity provider for federations
FeatureOpenUnisonShibboleth Identity Provider
Deploy effortRead-the-docs projectUnder-an-hour setup
CategoryIdentity & SSOIdentity & SSO
LicenseApache-2.0Apache-2.0
LanguageLessJava
Setup difficultyHardHard
Min. RAM1,024 MB1,024 MB
Deploymentkubernetes, helmbare-metal, docker, source
GitHub stars★ 136★ 200
First released20182003
ReplacesOktaOkta, Ping Identity

What are OpenUnison and Shibboleth Identity Provider?

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

Shibboleth Identity Provider

The Shibboleth Identity Provider is an open-source SAML identity provider widely used in research and education federations. It enables secure single sign-on and attribute release across organizations.

  • SAML 2.0 identity provider
  • Attribute resolution and release policies
  • Federation metadata support
  • Used by academic federations worldwide

OpenUnison vs Shibboleth Identity Provider: key differences

OpenUnison is written in Less, while Shibboleth Identity Provider is built with Java. Shibboleth Identity Provider is the more established project (first released 2003), while OpenUnison arrived in 2018. Shibboleth Identity Provider lists first-class Docker deployment; OpenUnison does not.

Why pick each one

Choose OpenUnison if…

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

Choose Shibboleth Identity Provider if…

  • Gold standard for SAML federations
  • Highly configurable

Watch out for

  • Complex setup
  • SAML-centric
Shibboleth Identity Provider details

Frequently asked questions

Is OpenUnison or Shibboleth Identity Provider better?

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

Are OpenUnison and Shibboleth Identity Provider free and open-source?

Yes. OpenUnison is licensed under Apache-2.0 and Shibboleth Identity Provider under Apache-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.

Can I run OpenUnison and Shibboleth Identity Provider with Docker?

OpenUnison: check the project docs for container support. Shibboleth Identity Provider: yes.

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