Authentik vs Keycloak: Which Identity Provider?
Quick Verdict
Authentik is the better choice for most self-hosters. It has a more modern UI, a visual flow designer, easier Docker setup, and covers the identity provider features homelabs actually need. Choose Keycloak if you need mature SAML support, LDAP user federation from Active Directory, or enterprise features that Authentik doesn’t yet match. Both are excellent — this is a close call.
Overview
Authentik is a modern, open-source identity provider built with Python (Django) and a React frontend. It provides OIDC, SAML, LDAP proxy, SCIM, social login, MFA, and a visual flow designer for customizing authentication workflows. It’s the newer contender, rapidly gaining popularity in the self-hosting community.
Keycloak is the incumbent open-source identity provider, maintained by Red Hat. Built on Java (Quarkus), it offers OIDC, SAML 2.0, LDAP/AD federation, social login, MFA, fine-grained authorization, and a comprehensive admin console. It’s widely used in enterprise environments and has years of production hardening.
Feature Comparison
| Feature | Authentik | Keycloak |
|---|---|---|
| OIDC support | Yes | Yes |
| SAML 2.0 | Yes (newer, less mature) | Yes (battle-tested) |
| LDAP provider (outbound) | Yes (exposes LDAP interface) | Yes (LDAP federation) |
| LDAP consumer (inbound) | Yes | Yes (mature federation) |
| Active Directory sync | Basic | Advanced (full federation) |
| SCIM provisioning | Yes | Yes |
| Social login | Yes (Google, GitHub, Discord, etc.) | Yes (Google, GitHub, GitLab, etc.) |
| MFA | TOTP, WebAuthn, SMS, static tokens | TOTP, WebAuthn, SMS |
| Visual flow designer | Yes (drag-and-drop) | No (XML/JSON flows) |
| Admin UI | Modern React SPA | Traditional Java web UI |
| User self-service | Yes (enrollment, recovery, profile) | Yes (account console) |
| Fine-grained authorization | Basic (policy-based) | Advanced (UMA, resource-based) |
| Client scopes | Yes | Yes (more granular) |
| Realm/tenant isolation | Tenants (brands) | Realms |
| Impersonation | Yes | Yes |
| Audit logging | Yes | Yes (detailed) |
| Docker setup | 3 containers (server, worker, PostgreSQL + Redis) | 2 containers (app + PostgreSQL) |
| Language | Python (Django) | Java (Quarkus) |
| RAM usage | ~800 MB-1 GB | ~1-2 GB |
| License | MIT + Enterprise | Apache-2.0 |
| GitHub stars | ~15,000 | ~26,000 |
Installation Complexity
Authentik requires three containers (server, worker, PostgreSQL) plus Redis. Configuration is via environment variables. The setup is well-documented with an official Docker Compose file. Initial admin account creation happens through the web UI on first visit.
Keycloak requires two containers (app + PostgreSQL). It uses production mode (start --optimized) vs dev mode. Configuration mixes environment variables (for infrastructure) with the admin UI (for realms/clients). First-admin credentials are set via environment variables. Java startup time means 30-60 seconds before it’s ready.
Both have comparable setup complexity. Authentik has more containers; Keycloak has more configuration nuance.
Performance and Resource Usage
| Metric | Authentik | Keycloak |
|---|---|---|
| RAM (idle) | ~800 MB | ~1 GB |
| RAM (active) | ~1-1.5 GB | ~1.5-2 GB |
| CPU | Medium (Python) | Medium (Java) |
| Disk | ~500 MB | ~400 MB |
| Startup time | ~15-20 seconds | ~30-60 seconds |
| Containers | 3+ (server, worker, DB, Redis) | 2 (app, DB) |
Both are resource-heavy compared to lightweight alternatives like Authelia. Keycloak uses more RAM due to the JVM, but Authentik’s Python worker adds up too. Neither is suitable for Raspberry Pi deployments.
Community and Support
Authentik has a rapidly growing community (15,000+ GitHub stars), active Discord, and frequent releases. It’s backed by Authentik Security (a company offering enterprise tier). Development velocity is high with regular feature additions. Documentation is good and improving.
Keycloak has a massive community (26,000+ GitHub stars), backed by Red Hat, and is widely deployed in enterprise. It has years of production hardening, security audits, and a rich ecosystem of extensions. Documentation is comprehensive but can be hard to navigate due to the breadth of features. The community is more enterprise-focused than homelab-focused.
Use Cases
Choose Authentik If…
- You want the better admin UI and visual flow designer
- You primarily need OIDC for self-hosted apps (Nextcloud, Grafana, Portainer, etc.)
- You want an LDAP provider (Authentik can expose LDAP for apps that don’t support OIDC)
- You prefer Python’s ecosystem for customization
- You want the simpler initial setup experience
- You’re in the self-hosting/homelab space (Authentik’s community focuses here)
Choose Keycloak If…
- You need mature SAML 2.0 support (Keycloak’s SAML is more battle-tested)
- You need to federate users from Active Directory or LDAP at scale
- You need fine-grained authorization (UMA, resource-based permissions)
- You’re in an enterprise environment with existing Keycloak knowledge
- You need the broadest protocol support and extension ecosystem
- You want Red Hat’s backing and enterprise support options
Final Verdict
For the typical self-hoster running 5-20 services at home, Authentik is the better choice. Its UI is more approachable, the flow designer is genuinely useful, and OIDC covers 95% of what self-hosted apps need. Keycloak wins in enterprise scenarios — SAML-heavy environments, Active Directory shops, and organizations that need fine-grained authorization. Both are overkill if you just want SSO and 2FA for your reverse proxy — use Authelia for that.
FAQ
Can I migrate from Keycloak to Authentik?
There’s no automated migration tool. You’d need to recreate realms, clients, and users in Authentik. For users, Authentik can import from LDAP or CSV. OIDC client configurations need to be recreated manually, but the settings (client ID, redirect URIs) are portable concepts.
Which has better Nextcloud integration?
Both work well with Nextcloud’s OIDC support. Authentik has more detailed documentation specifically for Nextcloud integration, which reflects its homelab-focused community.
Can I run both on the same server?
Technically yes, but there’s no reason to. They serve the same purpose — pick one.
Which is more secure?
Both have strong security models. Keycloak has more years of security audits and CVE responses. Authentik is newer but has a clean security track record. For a self-hosted deployment, either is excellent — the bigger risk is misconfiguration, not the software itself.
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