SSO Solutions Comparison (Self-Hosted)

Overview

This document compares self-hosted Single Sign-On (SSO) and Identity and Access Management (IAM) solutions suitable for a family homelab environment.

Comparison Matrix

Feature	Authentik	Kanidm	LL-LDAP (Lightweight)
Primary Focus	Modern, multi-protocol (OIDC, SAML, LDAP)	Identity-first, high security, Rust-based	Minimalist LDAP provider
User Interface	Comprehensive web-based admin & user portal	Modern web UI + robust CLI	Minimal or none (usually config files)
Protocols	OIDC, SAML, LDAP, OAuth2	OIDC, LDAPS	LDAP only
Ease of Use	Medium (lots of features)	Medium (security-focused defaults)	High (for simple setups)
Resource Usage	High (multiple containers)	Low/Medium	Very Low
2FA Support	Excellent (WebAuthn, TOTP)	Excellent (WebAuthn-first)	Limited/External

Recommendation

Use Authentik if:

• You need to support a wide variety of apps (some only support SAML, others OIDC).
• You want a polished user portal for family members to manage their own passwords and 2FA.
• You have sufficient hardware resources (8GB+ RAM recommended for the full stack).

Use Kanidm if:

• Security and "correctness" are your top priorities.
• You prefer a modern, Rust-based stack.
• You want a solution that handles IDM and SSO in one unified system.

Use LL-LDAP if:

• You only need simple LDAP authentication for a few legacy services.
• You are running on very constrained hardware (e.g., a Raspberry Pi 3).

Next Steps

1. Deploy Authentik via Docker Compose for initial testing.
2. Configure OIDC for the first three services: Nextcloud, Vikunja, and Gitea.
3. Document the setup in docs/services/authentik.md.

Sources / References

• Authentik Official Docs
• Kanidm Official Docs
• Identity Management on Homelab (Reddit)

Contribution Metadata

• Last reviewed: 2026-04-18
• Confidence: medium