head to head · open source
Sa-Token vs oauth2-client
Sa-Token has 19,056 GitHub stars, 2,914 forks, 111 open issues and last shipped yesterday. oauth2-client has 3,819 stars, 770 forks, 64 open issues and last shipped 6 days ago. Sa-Token leads on adoption by 399% (19,056 vs 3,819 stars). Sa-Token is written in Java under Apache-2.0; oauth2-client is written in PHP under MIT. Sa-Token has attracted 15% as many forks as stars, oauth2-client 20%. Sa-Token was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 2 topic tags (authorization, sso), 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
| Sa-Token | oauth2-client | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 19K | ★ 3.8K |
| License | Apache-2.0 | MIT |
| Written in | Java | PHP |
| Last push | 2026-09-21 | 2026-09-16 |
| Forks | ⑂ 2.9K | ⑂ 770 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick Sa-Token if
- You weight community size — 19K 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 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 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 →
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 Sa-Token or oauth2-client more popular?
Sa-Token has 19,056 GitHub stars and oauth2-client has 3,819. Sa-Token has the larger community by that measure.
Are Sa-Token and oauth2-client free?
Both are open source. Sa-Token is licensed under Apache-2.0 and oauth2-client under MIT. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between Sa-Token and oauth2-client?
Sa-Token is written in Java 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, Sa-Token or oauth2-client?
Choose Sa-Token if you want the larger community (19,056 stars) or its Apache-2.0 licence terms. Choose oauth2-client if its feature set, stack or MIT licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.