SpiceDB vs Topaz
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted identity & sso options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | SpiceDB | Topaz |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 91 · Excellent | 84 · Excellent |
| Category | Identity & SSO | Identity & SSO |
| License | Apache-2.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Language | Go | Go |
| Setup difficulty | Hard | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | docker, kubernetes, binary | docker, binary |
| GitHub stars | ★ 7,086 | ★ 1,361 |
| First released | 2021 | 2022 |
| Replaces | Auth0 FGA, OpenFGA | Auth0 FGA |
What are SpiceDB and Topaz?
SpiceDB
SpiceDB is an open-source database system for managing security-critical application permissions inspired by Google Zanzibar. It is self-hosted to provide consistent, fine-grained authorization at scale.
- Zanzibar-inspired model
- Consistency guarantees
- Schema language
- Horizontal scaling
Topaz
Topaz is an open-source authorization service that combines OPA policy evaluation with a relationship-based data model for fine-grained access control. It runs self-hosted as a sidecar or service.
- Combines RBAC and ReBAC
- OPA-based policies
- Local decision engine
- Sidecar deployment
SpiceDB vs Topaz: key differences
Both projects are written in Go. Topaz is the lighter option, starting around 256 MB of RAM against 512 MB for SpiceDB. SpiceDB has the considerably larger community, at 7,086 GitHub stars versus 1,361.
Why pick each one
Choose SpiceDB if…
- Released under the Apache-2.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Kubernetes-ready with Helm charts available
- Mature project with 7.1k GitHub stars
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 SpiceDB or Topaz better?
Neither is universally better. SpiceDB 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 SpiceDB and Topaz free and open-source?
Yes. SpiceDB is licensed under Apache-2.0 and Topaz under Apache-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run SpiceDB and Topaz with Docker?
SpiceDB: yes. Topaz: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, SpiceDB or Topaz?
Topaz has the smaller minimum footprint at 256 MB of RAM, compared to about 512 MB for SpiceDB. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.