Ory Hydra vs Topaz
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?
Ory Hydra
Certified OAuth 2.0 and OpenID Connect server
VS
Topaz
Open-source authorization with fine-grained access control
| Feature | Ory Hydra | Topaz |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Identity & SSO | Identity & SSO |
| License | Apache-2.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Language | Go | Go |
| Setup difficulty | Hard | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | docker, kubernetes, binary | docker, binary |
| GitHub stars | ★ 17,462 | ★ 1,355 |
| First released | 2015 | 2022 |
| Replaces | Okta, Auth0 | Auth0 FGA |
Why pick each one
Choose Topaz if…
- Released under the Apache-2.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Active community (1.4k GitHub stars)
- Written in Go
Frequently asked questions
Is Ory Hydra or Topaz better?
Neither is universally better. Ory Hydra has the larger community, while Topaz is simpler to set up (medium difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Ory Hydra and Topaz free and open-source?
Yes. Ory Hydra is licensed under Apache-2.0 and Topaz under Apache-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Ory Hydra and Topaz with Docker?
Ory Hydra: yes. Topaz: yes.