head to head · open source
Authentik vs oauth2-client
Authentik has 25,687 GitHub stars, 2,034 forks, 1,074 open issues and last shipped today. oauth2-client has 3,819 stars, 770 forks, 64 open issues and last shipped 7 days ago. Authentik leads on adoption by 573% (25,687 vs 3,819 stars). Authentik is written in Python under a custom or non-standard licence; oauth2-client is written in PHP under MIT. Authentik has attracted 8% as many forks as stars, oauth2-client 20%. Authentik was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 3 topic tags (authentication, authorization, oauth2), 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 | oauth2-client | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 26K | ★ 3.8K |
| License | Custom / other | MIT |
| Written in | Python | PHP |
| Last push | 2026-09-23 | 2026-09-16 |
| Forks | ⑂ 2.0K | ⑂ 770 |
| 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 oauth2-client if
- You want the oauth2-client feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches PHP
- You evaluated both and oauth2-client 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 oauth2-client
league/oauth2 client is an MIT licensed PHP library maintained by The PHP League that provides a reusable base for integrating applications with any OAuth 2.0 service provider, aimed at PHP developers who need to add "Connect with Facebook/Google" style login and token flows without implementing RFC 6749 from scratch.
read the full oauth2-client overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is Authentik or oauth2-client more popular?
Authentik has 25,687 GitHub stars and oauth2-client has 3,819. Authentik has the larger community by that measure.
Are Authentik and oauth2-client free?
Both are open source. Authentik has no licence declared in this registry, and oauth2-client is licensed under MIT. Both are free to self-host.
What is the difference between Authentik and oauth2-client?
Authentik is written in Python and oauth2-client 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 oauth2-client?
Choose Authentik if you want the larger community (25,687 stars) or its Custom / other licence terms. Choose oauth2-client if its feature set, stack or MIT licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.