Compare / Keycloak vs Authelia
Keycloak vs Authelia
Pick Keycloak if you need a full IdP (OIDC/SAML, users you host). Pick Authelia if you want forward-auth and MFA in front of apps you already run — not a user database.
Facts checked 17 Oct 2026. License, language, and GitHub activity come from the catalog or the project's own repo. "Not in the catalog row" means the public catalog dump does not store that number.
Keycloak in the catalog Authelia in the catalogStart on Railway
How they compare
| Keycloak | Authelia | |
|---|---|---|
| License | Apache-2.0 (catalog) source | Apache-2.0 (catalog) source |
| Language | Java (catalog) | Go (catalog) |
| GitHub activity | 37,403 stars in the catalog | 29,284 stars in the catalog |
| Self-host | Full identity provider. | SSO portal with MFA for apps behind a reverse proxy. |
| Best for | Workforce SSO, OIDC, and SAML you host. | Forward-auth in front of self-hosted apps, not a user database. |
Self-hosting and resource needs
Keycloak is the published IdP stack. Authelia sits behind a reverse proxy (catalog: SSO portal with MFA, Docker/Kubernetes tags). Do not treat Authelia as an Auth0 replacement for app signup.
FAQ
- Is Authelia an IdP like Keycloak?
- No. Authelia is the portal in front of apps you already run. Keycloak is the directory and protocol server.
- Authentik?
- See /compare/keycloak-vs-authentik for two IdPs.
- App login without an IdP?
- /stacks/auth-without-the-bill — SuperTokens, PocketBase, Tinyauth.
- Are these free?
- Both catalog rows are Apache-2.0. You pay hosting.
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