ZITADEL

Open source alternative to Auth0, Okta Customer Identity and Microsoft Entra ID

15.4K stars
AGPL-3.0
Active this week
Last commit 2 days ago

Last verified Oct 20, 2026

Secure customer identity with open source SSO, RBAC, and multi-tenant auth infrastructure. Best for teams replacing Auth0 or Okta.

Visit website GitHub15.4K 1-click deploy on Hostinger

Read the full breakdownWho it is for, how it works, trade-offs and the FAQ

who it's for

Who ZITADEL is for#

B2B SaaS teams managing customer tenants

ZITADEL fits products that need organizations, roles, SSO, MFA, and application-level identity controls for many customers.

Skip if:

Use a simpler auth library if your app only needs basic email login for a small user base.

Security teams requiring self-hosted identity

Teams with data residency or infrastructure-control requirements can run ZITADEL while still using modern identity protocols.

Skip if:

Use Auth0 or Okta if your team prefers managed identity operations and broad marketplace integrations.

the problem

The problem it solves#

Customer identity becomes a central dependency as soon as an application needs login, MFA, SSO, organizations, roles, machine users, and auditability. Hosted identity products reduce early setup but can create pricing pressure and data-residency concerns as user counts and tenants grow.\u000A\u000ABuilding identity internally is risky because modern auth requires protocol correctness, secure sessions, passkeys, MFA, tenant isolation, and admin tooling. Teams need control without inventing the identity stack from scratch.

how ZITADEL solves it

How it solves it#

Modern authentication protocols

ZITADEL supports OAuth2, OpenID Connect, SAML, passkeys, MFA, and related identity standards. This lets teams integrate with modern apps and enterprise identity providers.

Multi-tenant organization model

ZITADEL is designed around organizations, projects, users, and roles. That fits B2B SaaS products where each customer needs isolated identity and access management.

Self-hosted or cloud deployment

Teams can run ZITADEL themselves or use ZITADEL Cloud. Self-hosting supports data residency and infrastructure control for security-sensitive applications.

APIs for identity workflows

REST and gRPC APIs let developers manage users, applications, roles, and identity flows programmatically. That helps integrate identity into product and operations workflows.

strengths · trade-offs

Strengths and trade-offs#

Strengths

Strong fit for B2B SaaS identityThe organization and project model maps well to customer tenants, roles, and delegated administration. This is a key requirement for SaaS teams outgrowing simple auth libraries.
Modern protocol coverage with self-hostingZITADEL combines common enterprise identity protocols with a self-hostable architecture. That gives teams more control than hosted-only customer identity products.

Trade-offs

-Identity operations are sensitiveSelf-hosting ZITADEL means owning uptime, migrations, backups, key management, and incident response for login infrastructure. Many teams should consider ZITADEL Cloud if auth operations are not a core strength.
-AGPL needs legal reviewZITADEL is AGPL-3.0 licensed. Teams modifying and providing it over a network should review obligations before choosing the self-hosted path.

versus alternatives

ZITADEL vs alternatives#

ZITADEL vs Auth0

ZITADEL and Auth0 both handle customer identity, but they optimize for different constraints. ZITADEL gives you an open source, self-hostable identity stack. Auth0 gives you a managed proprietary service with less operational work.

Criterion	ZITADEL	Auth0
License	AGPL-3.0	Proprietary SaaS
Hosting	Self-hosted or ZITADEL Cloud	Managed SaaS
Protocols	OAuth2, OIDC, SAML, SCIM, passkeys, MFA	Broad enterprise identity support
Best fit	B2B SaaS teams that need tenant control	Teams that want a hosted identity vendor

ZITADEL is the stronger fit when tenant-aware identity, deployment control, and predictable self-hosted economics matter more than turnkey operations. Auth0 is the better fit when your team wants a commercial product with less infrastructure ownership and a larger integration marketplace.

tech stack · detected from GitHub

What it's built on#

Languages: GoTypeScript
Frameworks: AngularNext.jsReact
Infrastructure: OAuth 2.0
Tooling: Webpack

frequently asked

FAQ#

What is ZITADEL used for?

ZITADEL is used for authentication, authorization, user management, SSO, MFA, passkeys, and multi-tenant identity infrastructure. It is aimed at developers building applications with modern identity needs.

Is ZITADEL open source?

Yes. ZITADEL is AGPL-3.0 licensed. Teams should review AGPL obligations before modifying and providing a self-hosted deployment over a network.

How does ZITADEL compare to Auth0?

ZITADEL gives teams a self-hostable identity stack with modern protocols, while Auth0 is a managed proprietary identity product. Auth0 may be easier operationally; ZITADEL gives more control.

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Hostinger

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Hostinger sets ZITADEL up as a one-click app on a VPS.

Deploy on Hostinger

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Who ZITADEL is for#