Ory Hydra vs SuperTokens
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted identity & sso options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | Ory Hydra | SuperTokens |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 90 · Excellent | 95 · Excellent |
| Category | Identity & SSO | Identity & SSO |
| License | Apache-2.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Language | Go | Java |
| Setup difficulty | Hard | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | docker, kubernetes, binary | docker, binary |
| GitHub stars | ★ 17,563 | ★ 15,320 |
| First released | 2015 | 2020 |
| Replaces | Okta, Auth0 | Auth0, Firebase Auth |
What are Ory Hydra and SuperTokens?
Ory Hydra
Ory Hydra is an OpenID Certified OAuth 2.0 and OpenID Connect provider. It is built to integrate with any existing identity system and issues tokens without managing user accounts itself.
- OpenID Certified implementation
- Low memory footprint
- Bring your own login and consent UI
- Scales horizontally
SuperTokens
SuperTokens is an open-source authentication solution that handles login, sessions, social login and more. It can be self-hosted and offers SDKs and prebuilt UI components for rapid integration.
- Email/password and passwordless login
- Social and enterprise SSO
- Secure session management
- Prebuilt frontend components
Ory Hydra vs SuperTokens: key differences
Ory Hydra is written in Go, while SuperTokens is built with Java. Ory Hydra is the lighter option, starting around 256 MB of RAM against 512 MB for SuperTokens. Ory Hydra is the more established project (first released 2015), while SuperTokens arrived in 2020.
Why pick each one
Choose Ory Hydra if…
- Security focused and certified
- Integrates with any user store
Watch out for
- Only handles OAuth, not user management
Choose SuperTokens if…
- Easy framework integration
- Good free self-hosted tier
Watch out for
- Some advanced features are paid
Frequently asked questions
Is Ory Hydra or SuperTokens better?
Neither is universally better. Ory Hydra has the larger community, while SuperTokens is simpler to set up (medium difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Ory Hydra and SuperTokens free and open-source?
Yes. Ory Hydra is licensed under Apache-2.0 and SuperTokens under Apache-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Ory Hydra and SuperTokens with Docker?
Ory Hydra: yes. SuperTokens: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Ory Hydra or SuperTokens?
Ory Hydra has the smaller minimum footprint at 256 MB of RAM, compared to about 512 MB for SuperTokens. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.