head to head · open source
Keycloak vs pwd.sh
Keycloak has 36,920 GitHub stars, 8,950 forks, 3,292 open issues and last shipped today. pwd.sh has 1,563 stars, 136 forks, 0 open issues and last shipped 29 days ago. Keycloak leads on adoption by 2,262% (36,920 vs 1,563 stars). Keycloak is written in Java under Apache-2.0; pwd.sh is written in Shell under MIT. Keycloak has attracted 24% as many forks as stars, pwd.sh 9%. Keycloak was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee.
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
| Keycloak | pwd.sh | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 37K | ★ 1.6K |
| License | Apache-2.0 | MIT |
| Written in | Java | Shell |
| Last push | 2026-09-22 | 2026-08-24 |
| Forks | ⑂ 8.9K | ⑂ 136 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick Keycloak if
- You weight community size — 37K 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 pwd.sh if
- You want the pwd.sh feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches Shell
- You evaluated both and pwd.sh fits your workflow better
About Keycloak
Keycloak is an open source identity and access management server, written in Java and licensed under Apache 2.0, that adds authentication and access control to applications and services, and it is intended for teams and organisations that want to own their user store rather than rent one.
read the full Keycloak overview →
About pwd.sh
pwd.sh is a Bash script that manages text secrets such as passwords by storing each one in a GnuPG symmetric encrypted file, and it is for people who work in a terminal and prefer to keep their own encrypted store rather than hand it to a hosted password service.
read the full pwd.sh overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is Keycloak or pwd.sh more popular?
Keycloak has 36,920 GitHub stars and pwd.sh has 1,563. Keycloak has the larger community by that measure.
Are Keycloak and pwd.sh free?
Both are open source. Keycloak is licensed under Apache-2.0 and pwd.sh under MIT. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between Keycloak and pwd.sh?
Keycloak is written in Java and pwd.sh in Shell. The practical differences are community size, licence terms, language stack and release cadence — all compared in the table above.
Which should I choose, Keycloak or pwd.sh?
Choose Keycloak if you want the larger community (36,920 stars) or its Apache-2.0 licence terms. Choose pwd.sh if its feature set, stack or MIT licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.