head to head · open source
Authentik vs casdoor
Authentik has 25,647 GitHub stars, 2,029 forks, 1,074 open issues and last shipped yesterday. casdoor has 14,434 stars, 1,818 forks, 97 open issues and last shipped yesterday. Authentik leads on adoption by 78% (25,647 vs 14,434 stars). Authentik is written in Python under a custom or non-standard licence; casdoor is written in Go under Apache-2.0. Authentik has attracted 8% as many forks as stars, casdoor 13%. casdoor was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 1 topic tag (authentication), so they are genuine substitutes rather than adjacent tools.
Two open source projects, one decision. Both are free and self-hostable — the differences are community size, license terms, language stack and release pace.
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Side by side
| Authentik | casdoor | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 26K | ★ 14K |
| License | Custom / other | Apache-2.0 |
| Written in | Python | Go |
| Last push | 2026-09-19 | 2026-09-19 |
| Forks | ⑂ 2.0K | ⑂ 1.8K |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick Authentik if
- You weight community size — 26K stars and counting
- You want the Custom / other license terms
- Your stack matches Python
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick casdoor if
- You want the casdoor feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the Apache-2.0 license terms
- Your stack matches Go
- You evaluated both and casdoor fits your workflow better
About Authentik
Authentik is an open source Identity Provider (IdP) built for modern single sign on (SSO) workflows. It operates in the identity and access management (IAM) ecosystem, offering a self hosted alternative to commercial solutions like Auth0, Okta, and Entra ID. The project is written in Python and distributed under a mixed MIT/CC BY SA/enterprise license model, with a core open source offering and an enterprise tier for advanced features and support.
read the full Authentik overview →
About casdoor
Casdoor is an open source, self hosted identity and access management platform written in Go and licensed under Apache 2.0, which provides a single sign on and authentication server with a web console for teams that want to own their user directory rather than delegate it to a hosted provider.
read the full casdoor overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is Authentik or casdoor more popular?
Authentik has 25,647 GitHub stars and casdoor has 14,434. Authentik has the larger community by that measure.
Are Authentik and casdoor free?
Both are open source. Authentik has no licence declared in this registry, and casdoor is licensed under Apache-2.0. Both are free to self-host.
What is the difference between Authentik and casdoor?
Authentik is written in Python and casdoor in Go. The practical differences are community size, licence terms, language stack and release cadence — all compared in the table above.
Which should I choose, Authentik or casdoor?
Choose Authentik if you want the larger community (25,647 stars) or its Custom / other licence terms. Choose casdoor if its feature set, stack or Apache-2.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.