head to head · open source
Sa-Token vs pocket-id
Sa-Token has 19,051 GitHub stars, 2,914 forks, 111 open issues and last shipped 3 days ago. pocket-id has 9,230 stars, 312 forks, 98 open issues and last shipped 2 days ago. Sa-Token leads on adoption by 106% (19,051 vs 9,230 stars). Sa-Token is written in Java under Apache-2.0; pocket-id is written in Go under BSD-2-Clause. Sa-Token has attracted 15% as many forks as stars, pocket-id 3%. pocket-id 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 20902 open source comparisons
Side by side
| Sa-Token | pocket-id | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 19K | ★ 9.2K |
| License | Apache-2.0 | BSD-2-Clause |
| Written in | Java | Go |
| Last push | 2026-09-18 | 2026-09-19 |
| Forks | ⑂ 2.9K | ⑂ 312 |
| 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 pocket-id if
- You want the pocket-id feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the BSD-2-Clause license terms
- Your stack matches Go
- You evaluated both and pocket-id 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 pocket-id
Pocket ID is a self hosted, OpenID Connect Certified™ and OAuth 2.0 provider, written in Go, that authenticates users with passkeys and passwords never, aimed at anyone who wants single sign on for their own applications without standing up a heavyweight identity platform.
read the full pocket-id 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 Sa-Token or pocket-id more popular?
Sa-Token has 19,051 GitHub stars and pocket-id has 9,230. Sa-Token has the larger community by that measure.
Are Sa-Token and pocket-id free?
Both are open source. Sa-Token is licensed under Apache-2.0 and pocket-id under BSD-2-Clause. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between Sa-Token and pocket-id?
Sa-Token is written in Java and pocket-id 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, Sa-Token or pocket-id?
Choose Sa-Token if you want the larger community (19,051 stars) or its Apache-2.0 licence terms. Choose pocket-id if its feature set, stack or BSD-2-Clause licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.