Keycloak vs Apereo CAS

Keycloak9.4Visit Apereo CAS9.0Visit

Higher score Keycloak #1 in OAuth Server Software 9.4/10 Open source ✓ 0 of 5 features Visit Keycloak

vs

Apereo CAS #4 in OAuth Server Software 9.0/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 5 of 5 features Visit Apereo CAS

• Keycloak fits best

  Broad self-hosted identity deployments

• Apereo CAS fits best

  Auditable open-source SSO infrastructure

Advertiser disclosure: iTechGuides is reader-supported. Vendors can pay for top positions in our rankings and for a place on other products' pages, and we may earn a commission when you click some links. Bought places stand at the number bought; this page and our disclosure say so. Paying vendors may get a fuller, more detailed review from our editors, and that review can change their score. How we rank.

Side by side

Feature	Keycloak 9.4/10 Visit ↗	Apereo CAS 9.0/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score	9.4	9.0
Ranking	#1 in OAuth Server Software	#4 in OAuth Server Software
Best for	Broad self-hosted identity deployments	Auditable open-source SSO infrastructure
Pricing model	Free	Free
Starting price	Open source	Free plan
Free plan	Not checked yet	✓ (best)
Free trial	—	—
Deployment	Cloud, Desktop, Self-hosted	Self-hosted
Platforms	Web, Windows, Linux	Web, Linux
Integrations	10 integrations	13 integrations
Features Keycloak 0/5 · Apereo CAS 5/5
OpenID Connect	Not checked yet	✓ (best)
SAML support	Not checked yet	✓ (best)
Self-hosting	Not checked yet	✓ (best)
Token introspection	Not checked yet	✓ (best)
Machine-to-machine auth	Not checked yet	✓ (best)
Specs
Deployment model	Not checked yet	Self_hosted
Our review
Pros	Supports OpenID Connect, OAuth 2.0, and SAML 2.0 Combines SSO, federation, MFA, and fine-grained authorization Runs with VMs, containers, Kubernetes, and OpenShift	Supports CAS, SAML, OAuth 2.0, OpenID Connect, REST, and WS-Federation Connects authentication to LDAP, databases, X.509, RADIUS, MongoDB, and more Includes token introspection, machine-to-machine auth, auditing, and monitoring
Cons	Organizations must deploy and manage the server themselves SCIM support is preview functionality SCIM is disabled by default	Self-hosted deployment requires internal infrastructure ownership Its broad configuration surface may require specialist identity expertise Best suited to organizations able to manage a Java-based identity server
Our verdict	Keycloak is an open-source identity and access management server for web applications, REST services, and other applications. It suits organizations that want to operate their own authentication layer across multiple services and… Read the review →	Apereo CAS is an open-source Java server for authentication, authorization, identity management, and single sign-on. It is designed for organizations that need a self-managed identity provider, including enterprise and higher-education… Read the review →

Strengths and trade-offs

• Keycloak — where it wins

  • Supports OpenID Connect, OAuth 2.0, and SAML 2.0
  • Combines SSO, federation, MFA, and fine-grained authorization
  • Runs with VMs, containers, Kubernetes, and OpenShift

  Where it doesn't

  • Organizations must deploy and manage the server themselves
  • SCIM support is preview functionality
  • SCIM is disabled by default

• Apereo CAS — where it wins

  • Supports CAS, SAML, OAuth 2.0, OpenID Connect, REST, and WS-Federation
  • Connects authentication to LDAP, databases, X.509, RADIUS, MongoDB, and more
  • Includes token introspection, machine-to-machine auth, auditing, and monitoring

  Where it doesn't

  • Self-hosted deployment requires internal infrastructure ownership
  • Its broad configuration surface may require specialist identity expertise
  • Best suited to organizations able to manage a Java-based identity server

• Keycloak9.4/10 · Open source

  A broad, self-hosted IAM server for standards-based authentication and authorization.

  Visit KeycloakFull verdict →
• Apereo CAS9.0/10 · Free plan

  A broad, auditable SSO foundation for teams prepared to run identity infrastructure.

  Visit Apereo CASFull verdict →