head to head · open source
Authentik vs slink
Authentik has 25,793 GitHub stars, 2,052 forks, 1,074 open issues and last shipped yesterday. slink has 1,592 stars, 48 forks, 18 open issues and last shipped 4 days ago. Authentik leads on adoption by 1,520% (25,793 vs 1,592 stars). Authentik is written in Python under a custom or non-standard licence; slink is written in PHP under AGPL-3.0. Authentik has attracted 8% as many forks as stars, slink 3%. Authentik was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 1 topic tag (oidc), 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.
← all 20902 open source comparisons
Side by side
| Authentik | slink | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 26K | ★ 1.6K |
| License | Custom / other | AGPL-3.0 |
| Written in | Python | PHP |
| Last push | 2026-09-30 | 2026-09-27 |
| Forks | ⑂ 2.1K | ⑂ 48 |
| 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 slink if
- You want the slink feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the AGPL-3.0 license terms
- Your stack matches PHP
- You evaluated both and slink 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 slink
Slink is a self hosted image hosting and sharing platform — an AGPL 3.0 licensed Imgur alternative built with Symfony and SvelteKit — for homelab operators, developers, artists and teams who want private links, collections, screenshot uploads and optional single sign on under their own control.
read the full slink overview →
More in Security & Privacy
Related comparisons
More Identity & Access Management (IAM) projects
Compare either of these against the rest of the Identity & Access Management (IAM) field.
Frequently asked questions
Is Authentik or slink more popular?
Authentik has 25,793 GitHub stars and slink has 1,592. Authentik has the larger community by that measure.
Are Authentik and slink free?
Both are open source. Authentik has no licence declared in this registry, and slink is licensed under AGPL-3.0. Both are free to self-host.
What is the difference between Authentik and slink?
Authentik is written in Python and slink in PHP. 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 slink?
Choose Authentik if you want the larger community (25,793 stars) or its Custom / other licence terms. Choose slink if its feature set, stack or AGPL-3.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.