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OAuth VS IdentityServer

Compare OAuth VS IdentityServer and see what are their differences

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OAuth logo OAuth

OAuth is an open standard for authorization. It allows users to share their private resources (e.g.

IdentityServer logo IdentityServer

An open-source, standards-compliant, and flexible OpenID Connect and OAuth 2.x framework for ASP.NET Core
  • OAuth Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-06-19
  • IdentityServer Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-02-03

OAuth features and specs

  • Delegated Authorization
    OAuth allows users to grant applications limited access to their resources without sharing their credentials, enhancing security and user convenience.
  • Third-Party Integration
    Facilitates seamless integration with third-party services by allowing applications to access user data across different platforms securely.
  • Granular Access Control
    Supports fine-grained permissions, enabling users to specify exactly what resources an application can access and for how long.
  • Enhanced Security
    By allowing applications to access data without exposing user credentials, OAuth reduces the risk of password theft and other security breaches.
  • User Experience
    Improves user experience by allowing single sign-on and reducing the need for creating and remembering multiple usernames and passwords.

Possible disadvantages of OAuth

  • Complexity
    Implementing OAuth can be complex and resource-intensive, requiring careful handling of authorization codes, tokens, and various flows.
  • Security Risks
    If not implemented correctly, OAuth can introduce vulnerabilities such as token interception, token leakage, or insufficient token expiration time handling.
  • Evolving Standards
    OAuth standards and best practices evolve over time, which can require ongoing maintenance and updates to ensure that implementations remain secure and compliant.
  • User Consent Fatigue
    Frequent consent requests for different applications and permissions can lead to user fatigue, potentially causing users to ignore important security warnings.
  • Dependency on Third-Party Services
    Relying on OAuth providers for authentication can be challenging as service outages or changes to provider APIs might disrupt the dependent applications.

IdentityServer features and specs

  • Open Source Foundation
    IdentityServer is built on an open-source foundation. It has been widely used and developed by a community, ensuring transparency, reliability, and continuous improvements.
  • Comprehensive Protocol Support
    It supports industry standards such as OpenID Connect and OAuth 2.0, which are essential for authentication and authorization processes.
  • Customizability
    IdentityServer offers high levels of customizability, allowing developers to tailor authentication and authorization features to specific application needs.
  • Enterprise-Ready
    Designed to handle complex enterprise scenarios with robust performance and scalability options suitable for large-scale applications.
  • Strong Security Features
    Includes several security mechanisms to protect sensitive data, such as secure token storage and advanced encryption options.
  • Comprehensive Documentation
    Provides extensive documentation and resources, helping developers to implement and troubleshoot the server effectively in their systems.

Possible disadvantages of IdentityServer

  • Licensing Cost
    Since its transition from IdentityServer4 to a non-OSS model under Duende Software, organizations need to purchase a license for commercial use, impacting budget-conscious projects.
  • Complexity
    Can be complex to set up and configure properly, especially for teams that are new to security protocols like OAuth and OpenID Connect.
  • Maintenance Overhead
    Requires ongoing maintenance and updates to ensure security and compatibility with evolving protocols, which can be resource-intensive.
  • Potential Overhead for Small Projects
    May be overkill for smaller projects or teams that do not require robust authentication systems, where simpler solutions might suffice.
  • Community vs. Commercial Transition
    The switch from a community-driven open-source project to a commercial product may alienate previous users who relied on its open-source nature.

OAuth videos

OAuth 2.0: An Overview

More videos:

  • Review - OAuth 2.0 and OpenID Connect (in plain English)
  • Review - Google OAuth Review

IdentityServer videos

Federated Identity: An intro to OAuth2, Open Id Connect & Duende IdentityServer 5 | Anthony Nguyen

More videos:

  • Review - There's an IdentityServer in my API project - Anders Abel

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to OAuth and IdentityServer)
Identity And Access Management
Network & Admin
71 71%
29% 29
Identity Provider
49 49%
51% 51
SSO
0 0%
100% 100

User comments

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Reviews

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

OAuth Reviews

We have no reviews of OAuth yet.
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IdentityServer Reviews

10+ Open-source Single-Sign On (SSO) Solutions
If you are looking for a certified and complaint system to OpenID Foundation, with .Net technologies, then IdentityServer is your answer.
Source: medevel.com
Top 5 Open Source Single Sign-On Software In the Year 2021
IdentityServer is an open source free single sign-on software. It is a cross-platform framework based on OpenID Connect and OAuth 2. Further, this open source software provides central authentication and authorization capabilities for multiple applications. It supports federated identities, multiple flows, and API authorization. Moreover, this self hosting software enables...

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, OAuth should be more popular than IdentityServer. It has been mentiond 21 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.

OAuth mentions (21)

  • Implementing a token based authentication for rest API
    You want OAuth. You almost certainly want to use Keycloak as your provider. Source: almost 2 years ago
  • Skanderbeg Steam Login
    It's the same as when you get "log in with Google" or "Log in with Facebook" buttons on other sites. You can read about OpenAuth here: https://oauth.net/. Source: almost 2 years ago
  • Password isn't dying
    Failure to adhere strictly to battle-tested standards like OAuth or OpenID Connect (OIDC). - Source: dev.to / almost 2 years ago
  • Securing BudPay Transactions: Encryption and Authentication Techniques
    In addition to user authentication, BudPay secures its API endpoints using authentication mechanisms such as API keys and OAuth (Open Authorization). These mechanisms ensure that only authorized applications and services can access BudPay's APIs, protecting user data from unauthorized access. - Source: dev.to / almost 2 years ago
  • How do you create a DB that stores info about which people have which access?
    You'll typically need a way for users to authenticate to the service – probably using OAuth if you want them to login with their accounts from an identity provider, such as Google or Facebook. Source: over 2 years ago
View more

IdentityServer mentions (7)

  • Identity server 4
    Its deprecated in favor of Duende Identityserver which introduced a license model. Source: over 1 year ago
  • How does cookie based authentication work?
    Tokens usually have a lifetime and they are separate from the user's authentication principals like username and password. Unless you are rolling your own form of token provider (not something that would be recommended) the token creation is handled for you. Take a look at https://identityserver4.readthedocs.io/en/latest/ or if your organization makes under 1M in income a year the free version of what Identity... Source: over 2 years ago
  • ImageSharp leaving the .NET Foundation due to licensing change
    I think Duende (Identity Server) handled the situation pretty well. https://duendesoftware.com/products/identityserver > Standard License Pricing. - Source: Hacker News / over 2 years ago
  • Why is authentication such a sh*t show with .NET 6?
    He's referring to IdentityServer 3/4, which was open sourced, and was not owned by Microsoft. That 3rd party is commercializing their work (and to be fair, it's a lot of work) as https://duendesoftware.com/products/identityserver , and has a different commercial licensing model. Source: almost 3 years ago
  • Show HN: Open-Source Identity Server Written in Go (Ory Kratos)
    I think "Identity Provider" is more correct, no? "IdentityServer" is the name of a specific IdP implemented in .NET (formerly OSS as https://identityserver4.readthedocs.io/en/latest, and now as a more commercial form as Duende IdentityServer: https://duendesoftware.com/products/identityserver). - Source: Hacker News / almost 3 years ago
View more

What are some alternatives?

When comparing OAuth and IdentityServer, you can also consider the following products

OpenID - OpenID is a safe, faster and easier way to log in to web sites.

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

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

ASP.NET Identity - ASP.NET Identity is a membership-based software system designed for the authentication and authorization of the users via building an ASP.NET application.

BugMeNot - BugMeNot is a free Internet service that provides usernames and passwords to allow users to bypass the registration process for websites.

DotNetOpenAuth - DotNetOpenAuth is a free-to-use compiled library that comes with the real support to your site visitor to login with the help of openIDs via getting control of the ASP.NET control onto the page.