Keycloak
Open source identity and access management for modern applications
About Keycloak
Keycloak is an open-source identity and access management solution maintained by Red Hat. It provides single sign-on, user federation, identity brokering, and social login capabilities out of the box, supporting OpenID Connect, OAuth 2.0, and SAML 2.0 protocols.
Pros & Cons
Pros
- Completely free and open source with no licensing costs, ideal for large user bases
- Comprehensive protocol support including OpenID Connect, OAuth 2.0, and SAML 2.0
- Highly extensible via Service Provider Interfaces (SPIs) for custom authentication and user storage
- Full control over data and deployment with self-hosted architecture
- Active community and backed by Red Hat with regular releases
- Built-in user federation with LDAP and Active Directory
Cons
- Steep learning curve with complex initial setup and configuration
- Self-hosting requires handling updates, scaling, backups, and security patches
- Documentation can be overwhelming, especially for teams new to IAM
- Performance at scale requires careful optimization and monitoring
- High total cost of ownership when factoring in DevOps and engineering expertise
Key Features
Single Sign-On (SSO)
Users authenticate once and gain access to multiple applications without re-entering credentials
Identity Brokering
Federate authentication with external OpenID Connect or SAML identity providers and map attributes
User Federation
Synchronize users from LDAP and Active Directory servers, with extensible SPI for custom user stores
Social Login
Built-in support for Google, GitHub, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Microsoft, and more social providers
Fine-Grained Authorization
Define and manage detailed authorization policies and permissions from the admin console
Admin Console
Centralized web-based console to manage realms, users, roles, clients, and sessions
Standard Protocols
Full support for OpenID Connect, OAuth 2.0, and SAML 2.0 protocols
Multi-Tenancy
Create isolated realms for different tenants, each with their own users, roles, and configurations
Customizable Themes
Customize login pages, emails, and account management UI with theming support
Client Adapters
Libraries and adapters for Java, JavaScript, Node.js, and other platforms for easy integration
Pricing
- Full feature set
- Self-hosted deployment
- Community support
- All protocols (OIDC, OAuth 2.0, SAML)
- Admin console
- User federation
- Identity brokering
- Fully managed Keycloak hosting
- 99.95% SLA
- ISO 27001 certified
- 24/7 expert support
- Automatic updates and backups
- European hosting
- Enterprise support from Red Hat
- Long-term maintenance
- Security patches and fixes
- Professional services
- Certified containers
Best For
Enterprise SSO
Implement single sign-on across internal and external applications for seamless employee and customer access
API Security
Secure microservices and REST APIs with OAuth 2.0 token-based authentication and fine-grained authorization
Multi-Tenant SaaS
Provide isolated identity management per tenant using Keycloak realms with custom branding
Legacy System Integration
Bridge modern authentication standards with legacy LDAP or Active Directory infrastructure
Social Login for Web Apps
Add Google, GitHub, Facebook, and other social login options to web applications without custom code
Similar Tools
Visual Studio Code
Free, open-source code editor from Microsoft
Chat2DB
AI-powered SQL client that turns natural language into database queries
Chroma
The open-source AI-native vector database for search and retrieval
Zed
The fastest AI code editor — built in Rust for speed and collaboration
Activepieces
Open-source, AI-first business automation
Flux
Open-source AI image generator with photorealistic output and clean text rendering
Featured In
6 Best Open-Source Authentication Solutions for Modern Apps (2026)
Best for enterprise teams that need the most complete open-source IAM platform with SSO, SAML, LDAP federation, and multi-tenancy — powerful but operationally demanding
Best Identity Providers for Social Login Customization (2026)
Best for teams with platform engineering capacity who want maximum customization and zero per-user cost.
Best Identity Providers With Enterprise SSO Support (2026)
Best for teams with DevOps capacity who want unlimited-scale enterprise SSO at zero licensing cost.