head to head · open source
Sa-Token vs hydra
Sa-Token has 19,051 GitHub stars, 2,914 forks, 111 open issues and last shipped 2 days ago. hydra has 17,553 stars, 1,609 forks, 98 open issues and last shipped 2 months ago. Sa-Token leads on adoption by 9% (19,051 vs 17,553 stars). Sa-Token is written in Java under Apache-2.0; hydra is written in Go under Apache-2.0. Sa-Token has attracted 15% as many forks as stars, hydra 9%. Sa-Token was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 1 topic tag (authorization), 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
| Sa-Token | hydra | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 19K | ★ 18K |
| License | Apache-2.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Written in | Java | Go |
| Last push | 2026-09-18 | 2026-07-29 |
| Forks | ⑂ 2.9K | ⑂ 1.6K |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick Sa-Token if
- You weight community size — 19K stars and counting
- You want the Apache-2.0 license terms
- Your stack matches Java
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick hydra if
- You want the hydra 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 hydra fits your workflow better
About Sa-Token
Sa Token is a free, open source, one stop Java authentication and authorization framework, licensed under Apache 2.0, that gives Java and Spring Boot developers login authentication, permission checks, distributed sessions, single sign on, OAuth2.0, gateway authentication, JWT integration, API key authorization and API parameter signing from a single dependency.
read the full Sa-Token overview →
About hydra
Ory Hydra is an OpenID Certified OpenID Connect and OAuth 2.1 provider written in Go and licensed under Apache 2.0, built for teams that need standards compliant token issuance, client management, and consent flows while user accounts stay in their own existing identity system.
read the full hydra overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is Sa-Token or hydra more popular?
Sa-Token has 19,051 GitHub stars and hydra has 17,553. Sa-Token has the larger community by that measure.
Are Sa-Token and hydra free?
Both are open source. Sa-Token is licensed under Apache-2.0 and hydra under Apache-2.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between Sa-Token and hydra?
Sa-Token is written in Java and hydra 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, Sa-Token or hydra?
Choose Sa-Token if you want the larger community (19,051 stars) or its Apache-2.0 licence terms. Choose hydra if its feature set, stack or Apache-2.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.