head to head · open source
Authentik vs TheIdServer
Authentik has 25,876 GitHub stars, 2,062 forks, 1,074 open issues and last shipped today. TheIdServer has 756 stars, 92 forks, 2 open issues and last shipped 3 days ago. Authentik leads on adoption by 3,323% (25,876 vs 756 stars). Authentik is written in Python under a custom or non-standard licence; TheIdServer is written in C# under Apache-2.0. Authentik has attracted 8% as many forks as stars, TheIdServer 12%. Authentik was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 3 topic tags (oauth2, oauth2-server, 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.
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Side by side
| Authentik | TheIdServer | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 26K | ★ 756 |
| License | Custom / other | Apache-2.0 |
| Written in | Python | C# |
| Last push | 2026-10-08 | 2026-10-05 |
| Forks | ⑂ 2.1K | ⑂ 92 |
| 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 TheIdServer if
- You want the TheIdServer feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the Apache-2.0 license terms
- Your stack matches C#
- You evaluated both and TheIdServer 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 TheIdServer
TheIdServer is an open source identity and access management server for .NET teams that need to issue OpenID/Connect, OAuth2, WS Federation and SAML 2.0 tokens from a single self hosted system with a browser based admin interface.
read the full TheIdServer overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is Authentik or TheIdServer more popular?
Authentik has 25,876 GitHub stars and TheIdServer has 756. Authentik has the larger community by that measure.
Are Authentik and TheIdServer free?
Both are open source. Authentik has no licence declared in this registry, and TheIdServer is licensed under Apache-2.0. Both are free to self-host.
What is the difference between Authentik and TheIdServer?
Authentik is written in Python and TheIdServer in C#. 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 TheIdServer?
Choose Authentik if you want the larger community (25,876 stars) or its Custom / other licence terms. Choose TheIdServer if its feature set, stack or Apache-2.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.