SHSelfHostIndex

Shibboleth Identity Provider vs SimpleSAMLphp

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?
SH Shibboleth Identity Provider Standards-based SAML identity provider for federations VS SI SimpleSAMLphp PHP implementation of SAML and identity federation
FeatureShibboleth Identity ProviderSimpleSAMLphp
CategoryIdentity & SSOIdentity & SSO
LicenseApache-2.0LGPL-2.1
LanguageJavaPHP
Setup difficultyHardMedium
Min. RAM1,024 MB256 MB
Deploymentbare-metal, docker, sourcebare-metal, source, docker
GitHub stars★ 200★ 1,139
First released20032007
ReplacesOkta, Ping IdentityOkta, PingFederate

Why pick each one

Choose Shibboleth Identity Provider if…

  • Gold standard for SAML federations
  • Highly configurable
Shibboleth Identity Provider details

Choose SimpleSAMLphp if…

  • Proven and widely deployed
  • Flexible modules
SimpleSAMLphp details

Frequently asked questions

Is Shibboleth Identity Provider or SimpleSAMLphp better?

SimpleSAMLphp is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler medium setup. Consider Shibboleth Identity Provider if its specific feature set fits your needs better.

Are Shibboleth Identity Provider and SimpleSAMLphp free and open-source?

Yes. Shibboleth Identity Provider is licensed under Apache-2.0 and SimpleSAMLphp under LGPL-2.1. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.

Can I run Shibboleth Identity Provider and SimpleSAMLphp with Docker?

Shibboleth Identity Provider: yes. SimpleSAMLphp: yes.

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