Ad
 
Learn More

Cerbos vs Permify

Learn how Cerbos 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.

vs
Favicon of Cerbos

Cerbos

A scalable authorization layer that provides fine-grained access control through externalized policies, enabling secure and flexible permissions management.
4,565stars+49(+1.1%)

Last 30 days

Screenshot of Cerbos
Favicon of Permify

Permify

Open-source authorization service for implementing fine-grained access controls. Centralized, scalable solution supporting RBAC, ABAC and ReBAC with Google Zanzibar-inspired architecture.
5,942stars+15(+0.3%)

Last 30 days

Sponsor Permify ongithub.com
Screenshot of Permify

Detailed Comparison

Cerbos appears to have several advantages over Permify, particularly in growth, maturity 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 Cerbos having 4,565 stars and Permify having 5,942 stars on GitHub. In terms of developer contributions, Permify has 324 forks, indicating moderate developer engagement.

Cerbos wins
Growth Momentum

Cerbos is growing faster, adding 49 stars in the last 30 days (+1.1%) against adding 15 stars for Permify (+0.3%). Cerbos 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 Cerbos last updated 8 hours ago and Permify 17 hours ago.

Comparable
Technology Stack

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

Cerbos wins
Project Maturity

Cerbos has been in development longer, starting 5 years ago, compared to Permify which began 4 years ago. This 1.3-year head start suggests Cerbos may have more mature features and established processes.

Comparable
Licensing

The projects use different licenses: Cerbos is licensed under Apache-2.0 while Permify uses AGPL-3.0. Consider the licensing requirements when choosing for your project.

Comparable
Use Cases & Features

Both tools serve similar use cases in Authorization & Permissions. However, they also have distinct specializations: Cerbos also focuses on Application Security.

Cerbos wins
Hosting & Deployment

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