head to head · open source
Keycloak vs Sa-Token
Keycloak has 36,876 GitHub stars, 8,945 forks, 3,292 open issues and last shipped today. Sa-Token has 19,051 stars, 2,914 forks, 111 open issues and last shipped 2 days ago. Keycloak leads on adoption by 94% (36,876 vs 19,051 stars). Keycloak is written in Java under Apache-2.0; Sa-Token is written in Java under Apache-2.0. Keycloak has attracted 24% as many forks as stars, Sa-Token 15%. 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 | Sa-Token | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 37K | ★ 19K |
| License | Apache-2.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Written in | Java | Java |
| Last push | 2026-09-20 | 2026-09-18 |
| Forks | ⑂ 8.9K | ⑂ 2.9K |
| 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 Sa-Token if
- You want the Sa-Token feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the Apache-2.0 license terms
- Your stack matches Java
- You evaluated both and Sa-Token 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 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 →
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Frequently asked questions
Is Keycloak or Sa-Token more popular?
Keycloak has 36,876 GitHub stars and Sa-Token has 19,051. Keycloak has the larger community by that measure.
Are Keycloak and Sa-Token free?
Both are open source. Keycloak is licensed under Apache-2.0 and Sa-Token under Apache-2.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between Keycloak and Sa-Token?
Keycloak is written in Java and Sa-Token in Java. 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 Sa-Token?
Choose Keycloak if you want the larger community (36,876 stars) or its Apache-2.0 licence terms. Choose Sa-Token if its feature set, stack or Apache-2.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.