What is the main difference between Authentik and Keycloak?

Authentik and Keycloak are both authentication & sso providers but differ in their approach, features, and target audience. Compare their GitHub stats, technology stack, and community adoption to make the best choice.

Which is better: Authentik or Keycloak?

The choice between Authentik and Keycloak depends on your specific needs, technical requirements, and team preferences. Both are quality open source solutions with active communities.

Can I migrate from Authentik to Keycloak?

Migration between Authentik and Keycloak is possible but requires careful planning. Consider data export/import capabilities, feature parity, and potential workflow changes.

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Authentik vs Keycloak

Learn how Authentik and Keycloak differ in their key features, development activity, technology stack and community adoption, so you can decide which of these authentication & sso providers is best for you.

Authentik

authentik is an open-source identity provider that offers self-hosted authentication, authorization, and user management for businesses of all sizes.

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24,982stars+2,589(+12%)

Last 30 days

Last commit
7 hours ago
Repository age
7 years
Version
2026.8.0
License
MIT
Self-hosted
Yes
Repository
goauthentik/authentik

Sponsor Authentik ongoauthentik.io

Keycloak

Comprehensive open source identity management solution offering single sign-on, social login, and fine-grained authorization for applications and services.

Visit Keycloak Read more

36,283stars+527(+1.5%)

Last 30 days

Last commit
8 hours ago
Repository age
13 years
Version
26.7.2
License
Apache-2.0
Repository
keycloak/keycloak

Detailed Comparison

Authentik appears to have several advantages over Keycloak, particularly in growth, licensing and features. Consider your specific needs regarding popularity, growth, activity, technology, maturity, licensing and features when making your decision.

Comparable

Community & Popularity

Both tools have similar popularity levels, with Authentik having 24,982 stars and Keycloak having 36,283 stars on GitHub. In terms of developer contributions, Keycloak has 8,821 forks, indicating strong developer engagement.

Authentik wins

Growth Momentum

Authentik is growing faster, adding 2,589 stars in the last 30 days (+12%) against adding 527 stars for Keycloak (+1.5%). Authentik is the smaller project of the two, so it is closing the gap rather than extending a lead.

Comparable

Development Activity

Both projects show recent activity, with Authentik last updated 7 hours ago and Keycloak 8 hours ago.

Comparable

Technology Stack

Both tools share common technology foundations, being built with JavaScript, CSS, Bash, Typescript, JSX, Python. However, they differ in their additional technology choices: Authentik uses Golang, Rust, Django while Keycloak leverages C, Java.

Keycloak wins

Project Maturity

Keycloak has been in development longer, starting 13 years ago, compared to Authentik which began 7 years ago. This 6.6-year head start suggests Keycloak may have more mature features and established processes.

Authentik wins

Licensing

Authentik uses the MIT license, which is more permissive than Keycloak's Apache-2.0 license, potentially offering greater flexibility for commercial use and integration.

Comparable

Use Cases & Features

Both tools serve similar use cases in Authentication & SSO, Authorization & Permissions.

Authentik wins

Hosting & Deployment

Authentik provides self-hosting options for complete data control and customization, while Keycloak may be primarily cloud-based or require different deployment approaches.