What is the main difference between Authentik and Permify?

Authentik and Permify are both authorization & permissions tools 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 Permify?

The choice between Authentik and Permify 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 Permify?

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

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Authentik vs Permify

Learn how Authentik and Permify differ in their key features, development activity, technology stack and community adoption, so you can decide which of these authorization & permissions tools 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.

Visit Authentik Read more

Stars
22,146
Forks
1,672
Last commit
18 hours ago
Repository age
6 years
Self-hosted
Yes

Activity score

94/100

View Repository

Permify

Open-source authorization service for implementing fine-grained access controls. Centralized, scalable solution supporting RBAC, ABAC and ReBAC with Google Zanzibar-inspired architecture.

Visit Permify Read more

Stars
5,905
Forks
319
Last commit
2 days ago
Repository age
4 years
License
AGPL-3.0

Activity score

88/100

View Repository

Detailed Comparison

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

Authentik wins

Community & Popularity

Authentik significantly outpaces Permify in community adoption with 22,146 stars compared to 5,905 stars on GitHub. This 3.8x difference suggests Authentik has a much larger and more active community. In terms of developer contributions, Authentik has 1,672 forks, indicating strong developer engagement.

Comparable

Development Activity

Both projects show recent activity, with Authentik last updated 18 hours ago and Permify 2 days ago.

Comparable

Technology Stack

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

Authentik wins

Project Maturity

Authentik has been in development longer, starting 6 years ago, compared to Permify which began 4 years ago. This 2.6-year head start suggests Authentik may have more mature features and established processes.

Permify wins

Licensing

Permify is licensed under AGPL-3.0, while Authentik's license terms are not publicly specified.

Comparable

Use Cases & Features

Both tools serve similar use cases in Authorization & Permissions. However, they also have distinct specializations: Authentik also focuses on Authentication & SSO.

Authentik wins

Hosting & Deployment

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