Ory Kratos 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 Kratos
Headless identity and user management API server
VS
Topaz
Open-source authorization with fine-grained access control
| Feature | Ory Kratos | 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 | ★ 13,815 | ★ 1,355 |
| First released | 2020 | 2022 |
| Replaces | Auth0, Firebase Auth | Auth0 FGA |
Why pick each one
Choose Ory Kratos if…
- Extremely flexible architecture
- Excellent for custom frontends
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 Kratos or Topaz better?
Neither is universally better. Ory Kratos 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 Kratos and Topaz free and open-source?
Yes. Ory Kratos 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 Kratos and Topaz with Docker?
Ory Kratos: yes. Topaz: yes.