OpenZiti vs Ory Oathkeeper
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted apps from related categories — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Not the right match-up?
OpenZiti
Programmable zero-trust networking platform
VS
Ory Oathkeeper
Identity and access proxy for zero-trust networks
| Feature | OpenZiti | Ory Oathkeeper |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Remote Access & VPN | Identity & SSO |
| License | Apache-2.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Language | Go | Go |
| Setup difficulty | Hard | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | docker, kubernetes, binary | docker, kubernetes, binary |
| GitHub stars | ★ 4,336 | ★ 3,590 |
| First released | 2020 | 2017 |
| Replaces | Cloudflare Access | Cloudflare Access |
Why pick each one
Choose OpenZiti if…
- Released under the Apache-2.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Kubernetes-ready with Helm charts available
- Active community (4.3k GitHub stars)
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 OpenZiti or Ory Oathkeeper better?
Neither is universally better. OpenZiti 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 OpenZiti and Ory Oathkeeper free and open-source?
Yes. OpenZiti is licensed under Apache-2.0 and Ory Oathkeeper under Apache-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run OpenZiti and Ory Oathkeeper with Docker?
OpenZiti: yes. Ory Oathkeeper: yes.