Ory Hydra vs Vouch Proxy
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
Vouch Proxy
SSO authentication helper for reverse proxies
| Feature | Ory Hydra | Vouch Proxy |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Identity & SSO | Identity & SSO |
| License | Apache-2.0 | MIT |
| Language | Go | Go |
| Setup difficulty | Hard | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 64 MB |
| Deployment | docker, kubernetes, binary | docker, binary |
| GitHub stars | ★ 17,462 | ★ 3,278 |
| First released | 2015 | 2017 |
| Replaces | Okta, Auth0 | Okta Access Gateway |
Why pick each one
Frequently asked questions
Is Ory Hydra or Vouch Proxy better?
Neither is universally better. Ory Hydra has the larger community, while Vouch Proxy is simpler to set up (medium difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Ory Hydra and Vouch Proxy free and open-source?
Yes. Ory Hydra is licensed under Apache-2.0 and Vouch Proxy under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Ory Hydra and Vouch Proxy with Docker?
Ory Hydra: yes. Vouch Proxy: yes.