What is the main difference between Keycloak and Permify?

Keycloak 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: Keycloak or Permify?

The choice between Keycloak 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 Keycloak to Permify?

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

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Keycloak vs Permify

Learn how Keycloak 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.

Keycloak

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

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37,617stars+533(+1.4%)

Last 30 days

Last commit
7 hours ago
Repository age
13 years
Version
26.8.1
License
Apache-2.0
Self-hosted
Yes
Repository
keycloak/keycloak

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

5,968stars+9(+0.2%)

Last 30 days

Last commit
8 days ago
Repository age
4 years
Version
v1.7.5
License
AGPL-3.0
Repository
permify/permify

Detailed Comparison

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

Keycloak wins

Community & Popularity

Keycloak significantly outpaces Permify in community adoption with 37,617 stars compared to 5,968 stars on GitHub. This 6.3x difference suggests Keycloak has a much larger and more active community. In terms of developer contributions, Keycloak has 9,121 forks, indicating strong developer engagement.

Keycloak wins

Growth Momentum

Keycloak is growing faster, adding 533 stars in the last 30 days (+1.4%) against adding 9 stars for Permify (+0.2%). Keycloak is both larger and pulling further ahead.

Comparable

Development Activity

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

Comparable

Technology Stack

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

Keycloak wins

Project Maturity

Keycloak has been in development longer, starting 13 years ago, compared to Permify which began 4 years ago. This 9.2-year head start suggests Keycloak may have more mature features and established processes.

Comparable

Licensing

The projects use different licenses: Keycloak 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: Keycloak also focuses on Authentication & SSO.

Keycloak wins

Hosting & Deployment

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