{"category":{"slug":"self-hosted-sso-and-identity","label":"Self-hosted SSO and identity management"},"methodology_url":"https://www.orbator.io/ai-index/methodology","license":"Free to use with attribution to orbator.io","date":"2026-08-20","engine":null,"available_dates":["2026-09-08","2026-08-21","2026-08-20","2026-08-12","2026-08-11","2026-07-29","2026-07-25","2026-07-22","2026-07-09","2026-07-06","2026-06-17"],"policy":{"quotable_engines":["anthropic","openai","gemini"],"max_excerpt_chars":400,"full_text_public":false,"customer_runs_public":false,"full_text_retention":"retained at least 24 months, then operator review","notes":["Only Index category runs are archived publicly — customer scans never appear.","The quotable unit is a short excerpt of at most 400 characters, never the full answer.","Engines outside the verbatim allowlist are recorded as having answered, with the excerpt withheld under their terms.","Prompt intent is published; the prompt text itself is not."]},"status":"ok","count":28,"limit":50,"truncated":false,"engines":[{"engine":"gemini","count":7,"withheld":false,"answers":[{"engine":"gemini","answered_on":"2026-08-20","prompt_intent":"best_in_category","excerpt":"For companies seeking a self-hosted Single Sign-On (SSO) solution that ensures authentication data remains entirely on-premise, several robust options are available, primarily open-source platforms that offer extensive control over identity infrastructure and data sovereignty.\n\nLeading self-hosted SSO solutions that keep authentication data out of the cloud include:\n\n*   **Keycloak** is a widely r","excerpt_withheld":false,"withheld_reason":null,"highlights":[{"start":376,"end":384,"name":"Keycloak"}]},{"engine":"gemini","answered_on":"2026-08-20","prompt_intent":"best_in_category","excerpt":"For organizations seeking an open-source identity provider (IdP) to manage SAML and OpenID Connect (OIDC) authentication on-premise, several robust solutions offer flexibility, control, and a rich feature set. The \"best\" choice often depends on specific organizational needs, existing infrastructure, technical expertise, and desired feature depth.\n\nHere are some of the leading open-source identity","excerpt_withheld":false,"withheld_reason":null,"highlights":[]},{"engine":"gemini","answered_on":"2026-08-20","prompt_intent":"recommendation","excerpt":"For a government agency with air-gapped infrastructure, selecting an open-source Single Sign-On (SSO) platform requires solutions that prioritize robust offline capabilities, strong security, and comprehensive compliance features. Key open-source platforms that align with these stringent requirements include **Keycloak**, **Authentik**, and **WSO2 Identity Server**. **Authgear** also presents a vi","excerpt_withheld":false,"withheld_reason":null,"highlights":[{"start":312,"end":320,"name":"Keycloak"},{"start":326,"end":335,"name":"Authentik"},{"start":345,"end":365,"name":"WSO2 Identity Server"},{"start":371,"end":379,"name":"Authgear"}]},{"engine":"gemini","answered_on":"2026-08-20","prompt_intent":"recommendation","excerpt":"For healthcare companies requiring HIPAA-compliant authentication, several self-hosted Single Sign-On (SSO) options are available that prioritize data security, access control, and auditability. These solutions can be deployed on-premise or within a private cloud environment, offering greater control over Protected Health Information (PHI).\n\nKey features to look for in HIPAA-compliant self-hosted","excerpt_withheld":false,"withheld_reason":null,"highlights":[]},{"engine":"gemini","answered_on":"2026-08-20","prompt_intent":"alternatives","excerpt":"For organizations seeking open-source Single Sign-On (SSO) and Identity and Access Management (IAM) platforms as alternatives to expensive enterprise solutions, several robust options are available, each with its strengths and ideal use cases.\n\nHere are some of the leading open-source SSO and IAM alternatives:\n\n*   **Keycloak**\n    Keycloak is a widely adopted, open-source IAM solution known for i","excerpt_withheld":false,"withheld_reason":null,"highlights":[{"start":319,"end":327,"name":"Keycloak"},{"start":334,"end":342,"name":"Keycloak"}]},{"engine":"gemini","answered_on":"2026-08-20","prompt_intent":"comparison","excerpt":"Choosing between open-source self-hosted Single Sign-On (SSO) and a hosted Identity-as-a-Service (IDaaS) solution depends heavily on an organization's specific needs, resources, and priorities. Both approaches aim to centralize user authentication and access management, but they differ significantly in their operational models and implications.\n\n### Open-Source Self-Hosted SSO\n\nOpen-source self-ho","excerpt_withheld":false,"withheld_reason":null,"highlights":[]},{"engine":"gemini","answered_on":"2026-08-20","prompt_intent":"problem_solving","excerpt":"Setting up a self-hosted identity provider (IdP) that supports Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) and directory synchronization involves choosing the right platform, preparing your infrastructure, and configuring the various components. This approach gives you full control over your data and authentication processes.\n\n### Key Considerations for Self-Hosted IdPs\n\nBefore selecting and deploying a sel","excerpt_withheld":false,"withheld_reason":null,"highlights":[]}]},{"engine":"grok","count":7,"withheld":true,"answers":[{"engine":"grok","answered_on":"2026-08-20","prompt_intent":"best_in_category","excerpt":null,"excerpt_withheld":true,"withheld_reason":"source_terms","highlights":[]},{"engine":"grok","answered_on":"2026-08-20","prompt_intent":"best_in_category","excerpt":null,"excerpt_withheld":true,"withheld_reason":"source_terms","highlights":[]},{"engine":"grok","answered_on":"2026-08-20","prompt_intent":"recommendation","excerpt":null,"excerpt_withheld":true,"withheld_reason":"source_terms","highlights":[]},{"engine":"grok","answered_on":"2026-08-20","prompt_intent":"recommendation","excerpt":null,"excerpt_withheld":true,"withheld_reason":"source_terms","highlights":[]},{"engine":"grok","answered_on":"2026-08-20","prompt_intent":"alternatives","excerpt":null,"excerpt_withheld":true,"withheld_reason":"source_terms","highlights":[]},{"engine":"grok","answered_on":"2026-08-20","prompt_intent":"comparison","excerpt":null,"excerpt_withheld":true,"withheld_reason":"source_terms","highlights":[]},{"engine":"grok","answered_on":"2026-08-20","prompt_intent":"problem_solving","excerpt":null,"excerpt_withheld":true,"withheld_reason":"source_terms","highlights":[]}]},{"engine":"openai","count":7,"withheld":false,"answers":[{"engine":"openai","answered_on":"2026-08-20","prompt_intent":"best_in_category","excerpt":"For a company that specifically wants SSO while keeping authentication infrastructure and credential flows under its own control, I’d shortlist Keycloak and authentik, with Keycloak as the default enterprise choice.\n\n- Keycloak — Best overall for a conventional enterprise deployment. It is fully self-hosted, supports OIDC/OAuth 2.0 and SAML, can federate users from LDAP/Active Directory, supports","excerpt_withheld":false,"withheld_reason":null,"highlights":[{"start":144,"end":152,"name":"Keycloak"},{"start":157,"end":166,"name":"Authentik"},{"start":173,"end":181,"name":"Keycloak"},{"start":219,"end":227,"name":"Keycloak"},{"start":373,"end":389,"name":"Active Directory"}]},{"engine":"openai","answered_on":"2026-08-20","prompt_intent":"best_in_category","excerpt":"For an on-premises deployment where you need both SAML 2.0 and OIDC, I would shortlist Keycloak and Authentik, with Keycloak as the default choice for most enterprise environments.\n\n- Keycloak — best overall. Mature, widely deployed, fully open source, and supports OIDC/OAuth2 and SAML 2.0 as both an identity provider and identity broker. It also has LDAP/Active Directory federation, Kerberos inte","excerpt_withheld":false,"withheld_reason":null,"highlights":[{"start":87,"end":95,"name":"Keycloak"},{"start":100,"end":109,"name":"Authentik"},{"start":116,"end":124,"name":"Keycloak"},{"start":184,"end":192,"name":"Keycloak"},{"start":358,"end":374,"name":"Active Directory"}]},{"engine":"openai","answered_on":"2026-08-20","prompt_intent":"recommendation","excerpt":"For a U.S. government agency running genuinely air-gapped infrastructure, I would start with Keycloak as the default choice.\n\nKeycloak is a strong fit because it is fully self-hosted and Apache-2.0 licensed, supports OIDC/OAuth 2.0 and SAML, and integrates with LDAP/Active Directory, Kerberos/SPNEGO, and X.509 client-certificate authentication. Those last capabilities become particularly important","excerpt_withheld":false,"withheld_reason":null,"highlights":[{"start":93,"end":101,"name":"Keycloak"},{"start":126,"end":134,"name":"Keycloak"},{"start":267,"end":283,"name":"Active Directory"}]},{"engine":"openai","answered_on":"2026-08-20","prompt_intent":"recommendation","excerpt":"For a healthcare company that specifically wants self-hosted SSO, I’d shortlist Keycloak, ZITADEL, authentik, and FusionAuth. The important qualification is that “HIPAA-compliant authentication” isn't a property of the IdP alone: HIPAA compliance depends on your deployment, policies, audit controls, infrastructure, vendors/BAAs, and operational practices.\n\n- Keycloak — strongest default for fully","excerpt_withheld":false,"withheld_reason":null,"highlights":[{"start":80,"end":88,"name":"Keycloak"},{"start":90,"end":97,"name":"Zitadel"},{"start":99,"end":108,"name":"Authentik"},{"start":114,"end":124,"name":"FusionAuth"},{"start":361,"end":369,"name":"Keycloak"}]},{"engine":"openai","answered_on":"2026-08-20","prompt_intent":"alternatives","excerpt":"If you’re looking for open-source SSO/IAM that can replace or reduce reliance on products like Okta, Auth0, Microsoft Entra ID, or Ping, the main options are:\n\n- Keycloak — Probably the default choice for self-hosted enterprise IAM. Supports OIDC/OAuth 2.0, SAML, identity brokering, LDAP/Active Directory federation, MFA, user management, and fairly sophisticated authorization. Mature and widely de","excerpt_withheld":false,"withheld_reason":null,"highlights":[{"start":95,"end":99,"name":"Okta"},{"start":101,"end":106,"name":"Auth0"},{"start":108,"end":117,"name":"Microsoft"},{"start":118,"end":126,"name":"Entra ID"},{"start":162,"end":170,"name":"Keycloak"},{"start":289,"end":305,"name":"Active Directory"}]},{"engine":"openai","answered_on":"2026-08-20","prompt_intent":"comparison","excerpt":"The main tradeoff is control and customization versus operational burden. Neither is inherently more secure: a well-run self-hosted identity system can be excellent, while a poorly maintained one can become a particularly dangerous single point of failure.\n\nSelf-hosted open-source SSO makes sense when:\n- You have strong infrastructure/security engineering capacity and are comfortable operating a c","excerpt_withheld":false,"withheld_reason":null,"highlights":[]},{"engine":"openai","answered_on":"2026-08-20","prompt_intent":"problem_solving","excerpt":"For a self-hosted identity provider with both MFA and directory synchronization, I’d start with authentik unless you have a specific requirement that points toward Keycloak or ZITADEL. authentik can self-host, synchronize users/groups from LDAP or Active Directory, provide OIDC/SAML/LDAP to applications, and enforce MFA. Its LDAP source supports user/group synchronization, including deletion synch","excerpt_withheld":false,"withheld_reason":null,"highlights":[{"start":96,"end":105,"name":"Authentik"},{"start":164,"end":172,"name":"Keycloak"},{"start":176,"end":183,"name":"Zitadel"},{"start":185,"end":194,"name":"Authentik"},{"start":248,"end":264,"name":"Active Directory"}]}]},{"engine":"perplexity","count":7,"withheld":true,"answers":[{"engine":"perplexity","answered_on":"2026-08-20","prompt_intent":"best_in_category","excerpt":null,"excerpt_withheld":true,"withheld_reason":"source_terms","highlights":[]},{"engine":"perplexity","answered_on":"2026-08-20","prompt_intent":"best_in_category","excerpt":null,"excerpt_withheld":true,"withheld_reason":"source_terms","highlights":[]},{"engine":"perplexity","answered_on":"2026-08-20","prompt_intent":"recommendation","excerpt":null,"excerpt_withheld":true,"withheld_reason":"source_terms","highlights":[]},{"engine":"perplexity","answered_on":"2026-08-20","prompt_intent":"recommendation","excerpt":null,"excerpt_withheld":true,"withheld_reason":"source_terms","highlights":[]},{"engine":"perplexity","answered_on":"2026-08-20","prompt_intent":"alternatives","excerpt":null,"excerpt_withheld":true,"withheld_reason":"source_terms","highlights":[]},{"engine":"perplexity","answered_on":"2026-08-20","prompt_intent":"comparison","excerpt":null,"excerpt_withheld":true,"withheld_reason":"source_terms","highlights":[]},{"engine":"perplexity","answered_on":"2026-08-20","prompt_intent":"problem_solving","excerpt":null,"excerpt_withheld":true,"withheld_reason":"source_terms","highlights":[]}]}]}