head to head · open source
Keycloak vs Tracecat
Keycloak has 36,832 GitHub stars, 8,941 forks, 3,292 open issues and last shipped yesterday. Tracecat has 3,804 stars, 416 forks, 137 open issues and last shipped yesterday. Keycloak leads on adoption by 868% (36,832 vs 3,804 stars). Keycloak is written in Java under Apache-2.0; Tracecat is written in Python under AGPL-3.0. Keycloak has attracted 24% as many forks as stars, Tracecat 11%. Tracecat 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.
← all 8884 open source comparisons
Side by side
| Keycloak | Tracecat | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 37K | ★ 3.8K |
| License | Apache-2.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Written in | Java | Python |
| Last push | 2026-09-17 | 2026-09-17 |
| Forks | ⑂ 8.9K | ⑂ 416 |
| 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 Tracecat if
- You want the Tracecat feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the AGPL-3.0 license terms
- Your stack matches Python
- You evaluated both and Tracecat 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 Tracecat
Tracecat is an open source security automation platform for teams and AI agents. It lives in the security operations and incident response ecosystem, combining agents, workflows, lookup tables, and case management in one Python application. The project is licensed under AGPL 3.0, with a separate paid Enterprise Edition directory and feature gates.
read the full Tracecat 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 Keycloak or Tracecat more popular?
Keycloak has 36,832 GitHub stars and Tracecat has 3,804. Keycloak has the larger community by that measure.
Are Keycloak and Tracecat free?
Both are open source. Keycloak is licensed under Apache-2.0 and Tracecat under AGPL-3.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between Keycloak and Tracecat?
Keycloak is written in Java and Tracecat in Python. 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 Tracecat?
Choose Keycloak if you want the larger community (36,832 stars) or its Apache-2.0 licence terms. Choose Tracecat if its feature set, stack or AGPL-3.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.