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Keycloak VS FusionAuth

Compare Keycloak VS FusionAuth and see what are their differences

Keycloak logo Keycloak

Open Source Identity and Access Management for modern Applications and Services.

FusionAuth logo FusionAuth

FusionAuth is a CIAM platform that is 100% free for unlimited users.
  • Keycloak Landing page
    Landing page //
    2022-03-20
  • FusionAuth Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-02-10

FusionAuth adds authentication, authorization, user management, reporting, analytics and much more in minutes not months.

Keycloak features and specs

  • Open-Source
    Keycloak is an open-source identity and access management solution, which means it is free to use and has a community-driven support system. This can lead to lower costs and more flexibility compared to proprietary solutions.
  • Feature-Rich
    Keycloak offers a comprehensive set of features including single sign-on (SSO), multi-factor authentication (MFA), user federation, identity brokering, and social login. This makes it suitable for a wide range of use cases.
  • Customizability
    With Keycloak, you can customize the authentication and authorization processes through its extensible architecture, allowing for the addition of custom features and integrations.
  • Integration Capability
    Keycloak supports integration with various protocols such as OAuth 2.0, OpenID Connect, and SAML, making it versatile for integrating with different platforms and services.
  • Active Community
    Keycloak has an active and growing community of developers and users who contribute to its improvement and provide support, resources, and shared knowledge.

Possible disadvantages of Keycloak

  • Complexity
    Keycloak can be complex to set up and configure, especially for users who are not familiar with identity and access management concepts. This may require additional time and expertise.
  • Resource-Intensive
    Running Keycloak can be resource-intensive, requiring more CPU and memory compared to simpler authentication solutions. This may necessitate higher infrastructure costs.
  • Learning Curve
    The learning curve for Keycloak can be steep for new users due to its wide range of features and configuration options. Ample time might be required to fully understand and utilize its capabilities.
  • Documentation Quality
    While Keycloak has extensive documentation, some users find it to be insufficiently detailed or difficult to navigate, which can impede the setup and troubleshooting process.
  • Maintenance
    Operating a Keycloak instance involves ongoing maintenance tasks such as updates, security patches, and backups, which can be time-consuming and require dedicated resources.

FusionAuth features and specs

  • Comprehensive Feature Set
    FusionAuth provides a wide range of authentication and authorization features including OAuth, SSO, MFA, social login, and user management.
  • Developer Friendly
    FusionAuth offers extensive documentation, APIs, and SDKs that make it easy for developers to integrate and customize.
  • Self-Hosted and SaaS Options
    FusionAuth can be deployed on-premises or accessed as a cloud service, providing flexibility based on organizational needs.
  • Scalable
    FusionAuth is designed to handle millions of users, making it suitable for both small-scale and enterprise-grade applications.
  • Good Community Support
    There is a vibrant community and responsive support team that can help with troubleshooting and advice.
  • Free Tier
    FusionAuth offers a free version that includes a substantial set of features, which is beneficial for startups and small projects.

Possible disadvantages of FusionAuth

  • Complex Initial Setup
    The initial configuration and setup can be complex and time-consuming, particularly for users who are not familiar with authentication systems.
  • Cost
    While there is a free tier, the advanced features and higher usage plans can become costly for larger applications.
  • Resource Intensive
    Self-hosting FusionAuth may require significant server resources, which can be a drawback for smaller organizations.
  • Learning Curve
    Given its comprehensive feature set, there can be a steep learning curve for new users to fully leverage all the capabilities.
  • Limited Customization for SaaS
    The SaaS version may have limitations in customization and control compared to the self-hosted option.

Keycloak videos

What is Keycloak and what are the main features | DevNation Live

More videos:

  • Review - Keycloak Overview
  • Review - Easily Secure Your Front and Back End app with Keycloak

FusionAuth videos

Replicating StackOverflow login with FusionAuth

More videos:

  • Demo - FusionAuth Demo

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Keycloak and FusionAuth)
Identity And Access Management
SSO
70 70%
30% 30
Identity Provider
74 74%
26% 26
Security & Privacy
100 100%
0% 0

User comments

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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare Keycloak and FusionAuth

Keycloak Reviews

12 User Authentication Platforms [Auth0, Firebase Alternatives]
You can integrate Keycloak with your applications to have a single-sign-in and single-sign-out experience. Moreover, one can activate social logins without any modification in code. Additionally, it allows user authentication via existing OpenID Connect or SAML 2.0
Source: geekflare.com
10+ Open-source Single-Sign On (SSO) Solutions
Keycloak is a free, open-source identity and access management system with highly configurable Single-Sign-On (SSO) support.
Source: medevel.com
10 Best Auth0 Alternatives and Similar Platforms
Keycloak may be quite beneficial because it provides a built-in method for syncing with databases, such as LDAP or Active Directory, when your users already are registered on. If you use Social Login for social platforms such as Facebook, Keycloak might be a great tool for your organization.
Top 5 Open Source Single Sign-On Software In the Year 2021
KeyCloak is another free software that is based on OpenID Connect, OAuth2.0, and SAML2.0. It provides SSO capabilities across web applications and web services. Above all, this open source software provides integrations with LDAP and Active Directory. There is a logical user interface where users can manage roles, permissions, and sessions. Moreover, this free solution...
IAM: A comparison of open-source tools
/ Digitalberry news / IAM: A comparison of open-source toolsIAM: A comparison of open-source toolsWhy use an Identity Provider (IdP)?Comparative study of Identity Providers (IdP)1. Our team’s first choice: Keycloak2. In second place of our comparative study: Gluu3. Special mention: FusionAuthDiscover our expertiseContact our experts

FusionAuth Reviews

10 Best Auth0 Alternatives and Similar Platforms
Like Auth0, FusionAuth is a powerful user management solution with a lot more to offer. Getting started and setting up FusionAuth takes no time because it is compatible with databases, such as Java and C#.
IAM: A comparison of open-source tools
/ Digitalberry news / IAM: A comparison of open-source toolsIAM: A comparison of open-source toolsWhy use an Identity Provider (IdP)?Comparative study of Identity Providers (IdP)1. Our team’s first choice: Keycloak2. In second place of our comparative study: Gluu3. Special mention: FusionAuthDiscover our expertiseContact our experts
Auth0 and FusionAuth: A Tale of Two Solutions
One of the biggest differences between Auth0 and FusionAuth is cost. FusionAuth is free for unlimited users. No strings, gimmicks, or tricks. No cost increases when you hit a certain Monthly Active User threshold. Much like a database or a web server, secure authentication is so essential that developers should be able to implement it quickly and easily without cost...
Source: fusionauth.io

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, FusionAuth should be more popular than Keycloak. It has been mentiond 30 times since March 2021. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

Keycloak mentions (4)

  • Beyond the login page
    Most of the time nowadays, I prefer offloading this to an identity provider, using OpenID Connect or soon Federated Credential Management (FedCM), even if that means shipping an identity provider as part of the deliverables (I generally go with Keycloak, with keycloak-config-cli to provision its configuration). I'm obviously biased though as I work in IT services, developping software mainly for... - Source: dev.to / over 1 year ago
  • Okta Says Hackers Stole Data for All Customer Support Users
    Yet another breach of Okta... Why are companies not running something like keycloak [1] themselves? Are administrative/maintenance costs too high or is it plausible deniability? [1] https://keycloak.org. - Source: Hacker News / over 1 year ago
  • I built a ready-to-use auth server with TypeScript and Express.js
    I'd stick with a solution like https://keycloak.org in that instance. Source: about 2 years ago
  • Authelia is an open-source authentication/authorization server with 2FA/SSO
    A few more projects in this space: - Keycloak (you won't get fired for picking this)[0] - CloudFoundry's UAA[1] - Gluu [2] - Keratin [3] - OpenUnison [4] - Dex[5] - Netlify's GoTrue[6] All of these solutions are a bit different but here are some of the axes: - Whether or not they function as an OAuth provider - Whether they're centered around application-user-login (email + password) or application auth (OAuth) or... - Source: Hacker News / about 4 years ago

FusionAuth mentions (30)

  • Launch HN: Stack Auth (YC S24) – An Open-Source Auth0/Clerk Alternative
    As someone who came from Auth0 and god-awful Amazon Cognito, we've been using FusionAuth for years. Their APIs and SDKs have been amazing to work with. https://fusionauth.io It does what Auth0 does but significantly more cheaper and you can also self-host if you want. I built the Pulimi plugin for it which helps us easily configure it. If you don't use Terraform or Pulumi, they have this really cool kickstart... - Source: Hacker News / 9 months ago
  • Top 6 Open Source Identity and Access Management (IAM) Solutions For Enterprises
    FusionAuth is one of the most decorated and successful open-source IAM solutions. It has been downloaded by more than 10 million customers and hosts over 1 million digital identities. - Source: dev.to / about 1 year ago
  • Evolutive and robust password hashing using PBKDF2 in .NET
    Ideally, I would recommend not handling and storing passwords yourself. It is preferable to use an identity provider (IdP), such as Azure AD B2C, Auth0, or FusionAuth. These systems are designed to manage your users' identity (including their passwords) so you don't have to. You could also use Single Sign-On with cloud providers. - Source: dev.to / over 1 year ago
  • Ask HN: Who is hiring? (August 2023)
    FusionAuth | Senior Java Engineer, Senior TechOps Engineer, Senior Support Engineer | Full-time | Denver CO, USA | https://fusionauth.io FusionAuth is the authentication and authorization platform built for devs, by devs. Our software solves the problem of integrating essential user security without adding risk or distracting from the primary application. Ya know, the one with the features your users want to pay... - Source: Hacker News / over 1 year ago
  • SSO yet again - Authentik / Authelia / FusionAuth / Teleport / etc.
    But I rarely see a comprehensive comparison that is current for any of them. And then there are others out there like Teleport and FusionAuth. Source: almost 2 years ago
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What are some alternatives?

When comparing Keycloak and FusionAuth, you can also consider the following products

Auth0 - Auth0 is a program for people to get authentication and authorization services for their own business use.

Okta - Enterprise-grade identity management for all your apps, users & devices

OneLogin - On-demand SSO, directory integration, user provisioning and more

Amazon Cognito - Amazon Cognito lets you add user sign-up, sign-in, and access control to your web and mobile apps quickly and easily. It scales to millions of users and supports sign-in with social identity providers and enterprise identity providers via SAML 2.0.

LoginRadius - Loginradius is a cloud-based customer identity and access management platform. LoginRadius empowers businesses to deliver a delightful customer experience without compromising security.

Microsoft Azure Active Directory - Azure Active Directory is a comprehensive identity and access management cloud solution that provides a robust set of capabilities to manage users and groups and help secure access to applications including Microsoft online services like Office 365 …