What is the main difference between Cerbos and Zitadel?

Cerbos and Zitadel 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: Cerbos or Zitadel?

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

Can I migrate from Cerbos to Zitadel?

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

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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.

Cerbos

A scalable authorization layer that provides fine-grained access control through externalized policies, enabling secure and flexible permissions management.

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4,651stars+34(+0.7%)

Last 30 days

Last commit
13 hours ago
Repository age
6 years
Version
v0.57.0
License
Apache-2.0
Self-hosted
Yes
Repository
cerbos/cerbos

Zitadel

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

Visit Zitadel Read more

15,550stars+280(+1.8%)

Last 30 days

Last commit
10 hours ago
Repository age
7 years
Version
v4.20.2
License
AGPL-3.0
Self-hosted
Yes
Repository
zitadel/zitadel

Detailed Comparison

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

Zitadel wins

Community & Popularity

Zitadel significantly outpaces Cerbos in community adoption with 15,550 stars compared to 4,651 stars on GitHub. This 3.3x difference suggests Zitadel has a much larger and more active community. In terms of developer contributions, Zitadel has 1,420 forks, indicating strong developer engagement.

Zitadel wins

Growth Momentum

Zitadel is growing faster, adding 280 stars in the last 30 days (+1.8%) against adding 34 stars for Cerbos (+0.7%). Zitadel is both larger and pulling further ahead.

Comparable

Development Activity

Both projects show recent activity, with Cerbos last updated 13 hours ago and Zitadel 10 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 7 years ago, compared to Cerbos which began 6 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: Zitadel extends into Authentication & SSO.

Comparable