Keycloak

When European fintech leader N26 needed to secure millions of customer accounts while meeting strict GDPR compliance requirements, they chose Keycloak as their identity foundation. The digital bank successfully manages authentication for over 8 million users across multiple countries using Keycloak’s flexible, self-hosted architecture that keeps sensitive identity data under complete organizational control.

Major enterprises including Red Hat, Bosch, and countless government agencies rely on Keycloak to protect their most critical applications and user data. With over 100,000 downloads monthly and deployment across industries from healthcare to finance, Keycloak has proven its enterprise readiness while offering significant cost savings—organizations typically reduce identity management costs by 60-80% compared to commercial alternatives.

Keycloak stands as the world’s most comprehensive open-source identity and access management platform, providing enterprise-grade security without vendor lock-in. Built by Red Hat and backed by a vibrant community, it offers the flexibility to customize authentication flows while maintaining compatibility with industry standards like OAuth 2.0, OpenID Connect, and SAML.

Key Features

• Complete Open-Source Control - Full sovereignty over identity infrastructure with on-premises deployment and complete source code access • Enterprise Single Sign-On (SSO) - Seamless user experiences across applications reducing password fatigue by 75% with centralized session management • Universal Identity Federation - Connect with any external identity provider including Google, Facebook, GitHub, Active Directory, and LDAP • Advanced User Federation - Integrate with existing directories enabling bidirectional synchronization and gradual modernization without disruption • Multi-Protocol Support - Comprehensive compatibility with OAuth 2.0, OpenID Connect, SAML 2.0, and custom adapters for diverse applications • Fine-Grained Authorization - Sophisticated permission models with RBAC, ABAC, and custom policies reducing unauthorized access by 85% • Customizable Authentication Flows - Design authentication experiences matching security requirements through visual flow designer • Multi-Tenant Realm Management - Manage multiple organizations through isolated realms sharing infrastructure while reducing operational complexity

Pros and Cons

Pros

• Cost efficiency eliminating licensing fees and reducing identity costs by 60-80% • Data sovereignty maintaining complete control with self-hosted deployment options • Vendor independence avoiding lock-in with open-source architecture and standard protocols • Enterprise features providing advanced capabilities typically found in expensive commercial platforms • Active community offering continuous development and extensive documentation from Red Hat

Cons

• Self-management overhead requiring internal expertise for deployment and maintenance • Learning curve with complex feature set overwhelming teams new to identity management • Limited cloud services with fewer managed options versus cloud-native providers • Resource requirements for self-hosting needing infrastructure and HA planning • Support options requiring commercial Red Hat subscription for mission-critical deployments

Secure Your Identity Infrastructure

Join thousands of organizations worldwide who’ve chosen Keycloak for secure, cost-effective identity management. From startups protecting their first applications to enterprises managing millions of users, Keycloak provides the flexibility and control needed for modern identity challenges.

Ready to take control of your authentication? Download Keycloak and explore the comprehensive documentation at keycloak.org. Discover why leading organizations choose open-source identity management for security, savings, and sovereignty.