Keycloak Guide 2024: Pricing, Features, & Limitations 🔐

Keycloak is an open-source Identity and Access Management (IAM) tool designed to address modern authentication needs such as Single Sign-On (SSO), user federation, and fine-grained access control, making it particularly appealing for large organizations, including government agencies and Fortune 500 companies. Initially developed by Red Hat and now part of the Cloud Native Computing Foundation, Keycloak offers a robust feature set with support for protocols like OAuth 2.0, OpenID Connect, and SAML, alongside capabilities such as two-factor authentication, role-based access control, and customization options through custom adapters. While its open-source nature eliminates licensing fees, hosting and maintenance incur operational costs, and its extensive feature set can present a steep learning curve. For enterprises seeking official support, Red Hat offers a commercial version with simplified setup and SLA-backed assistance. However, Keycloak's resource intensity and configuration complexity can be challenging, particularly for large deployments, which may necessitate performance tuning and scaling considerations. An alternative for developers or smaller teams is SuperTokens, which provides a more lightweight, developer-friendly solution with transparent pricing and ease of integration, making it suitable for those prioritizing simplicity and modern developer experiences.