Ad
 
Learn more

Cerbos vs Zitadel

Learn how Cerbos and Zitadel 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.
  • Stars


    4,358
  • Forks


    177
  • Last commit


    16 hours ago
  • Repository age


    5 years
  • License


    Apache-2.0
View Repository

Auto-fetched .

Screenshot of Cerbos
Favicon of Zitadel

Zitadel

ZITADEL provides a comprehensive identity management solution with easy APIs, customizable workflows, and serverless deployment options.
  • Stars


    13,581
  • Forks


    1,035
  • Last commit


    23 hours ago
  • Repository age


    6 years
  • License


    AGPL-3.0
  • Self-hosted


    Yes
View Repository

Auto-fetched .

Screenshot of Zitadel

Detailed Comparison

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

Zitadel wins
Community & Popularity

Zitadel significantly outpaces Cerbos in community adoption with 13,581 stars compared to 4,358 stars on GitHub. This 3.1x difference suggests Zitadel has a much larger and more active community. In terms of developer contributions, Zitadel has 1,035 forks, indicating strong developer engagement.

Comparable
Development Activity

Both projects show recent activity, with Cerbos last updated 16 hours ago and Zitadel 23 hours ago.

Comparable
Technology Stack

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

Zitadel wins
Project Maturity

Zitadel has been in development longer, starting 6 years ago, compared to Cerbos which began 5 years ago. This 1.0-year head start suggests Zitadel may have more mature features and established processes.

Comparable
Licensing

The projects use different licenses: Cerbos is licensed under Apache-2.0 while Zitadel 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 while Zitadel extends into Authentication & SSO.

Zitadel wins
Hosting & Deployment

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