head to head · open source
Authentik vs oauth2-proxy
Authentik has 25,647 GitHub stars, 2,029 forks, 1,074 open issues and last shipped yesterday. oauth2-proxy has 14,982 stars, 2,196 forks, 285 open issues and last shipped 2 days ago. Authentik leads on adoption by 71% (25,647 vs 14,982 stars). Authentik is written in Python under a custom or non-standard licence; oauth2-proxy is written in Go under MIT. Authentik has attracted 8% as many forks as stars, oauth2-proxy 15%. Authentik was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 2 topic tags (oauth2, 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 | oauth2-proxy | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 26K | ★ 15K |
| License | Custom / other | MIT |
| Written in | Python | Go |
| Last push | 2026-09-19 | 2026-09-18 |
| Forks | ⑂ 2.0K | ⑂ 2.2K |
| 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-proxy if
- You want the oauth2-proxy feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches Go
- You evaluated both and oauth2-proxy 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-proxy
OAuth2 Proxy is an open source, MIT licensed reverse proxy and middleware written in Go that puts OAuth2 and OpenID Connect authentication in front of web applications, aimed at operators and platform teams who need single sign on without adding auth code to every app.
read the full oauth2-proxy overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is Authentik or oauth2-proxy more popular?
Authentik has 25,647 GitHub stars and oauth2-proxy has 14,982. Authentik has the larger community by that measure.
Are Authentik and oauth2-proxy free?
Both are open source. Authentik has no licence declared in this registry, and oauth2-proxy is licensed under MIT. Both are free to self-host.
What is the difference between Authentik and oauth2-proxy?
Authentik is written in Python and oauth2-proxy 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, Authentik or oauth2-proxy?
Choose Authentik if you want the larger community (25,647 stars) or its Custom / other licence terms. Choose oauth2-proxy if its feature set, stack or MIT licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.