Keycloak Guide 2024: Pricing, Features, & Limitations 🔐

Hey there, fellow developer! 👋

Whether you’re exploring Keycloak for your next project or re-evaluating your current auth stack, this guide has you covered. We’ll take a look at Keycloak’s features, pricing model, and what makes this well-known FOSS project a good choice.

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Keycloak: An Overview

Keycloak is an open-source Identity and Access Management (IAM) tool designed to handle modern authentication needs like Single Sign-On (SSO), user federation, and fine-grained access control. Originally developed under Red Hat’s stewardship, Keycloak is now part of the CNCF (Cloud Native Computing Foundation).

What Makes Keycloak Unique?

• Open-Source Powerhouse: No licensing fees make it attractive for organizations of all sizes.
• Broad Protocol Support: Out-of-the-box compatibility with OAuth 2.0, OpenID Connect (OIDC), and SAML.
• Feature-Rich Toolset: Offers 2FA, MFA, and role-based access control.
• Highly Customizable: Developers can extend functionality with custom adapters and integrations.

Keycloak has a reputation for being especially well suited for enterprises that require flexible IAM solutions. Its wide adoption by government agencies, banks, and Fortune 500 companies is an obvious testament to its reliability.

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Keycloak Features

Keycloak provides a wide array of features designed to meet various authentication and authorization requirements. Here’s a breakdown of those:

Feature	Description
Authentication	Single Sign-On (SSO) and multi-factor support
Identity Brokering	Login via external identity providers (Google, Microsoft, etc.)
User Federation	Integration with LDAP/AD servers for user storage
Authorization	Define fine-grained permissions and access control policies

Admin Console 🛠️

The Keycloak admin console is a powerful web-based interface that allows administrators to manage and configure various aspects of their IAM setup. Here’s a closer look at some of the key components:

Managing Realms

In Keycloak, a realm is a fundamental concept that acts as a boundary for managing users, credentials, roles, and groups. Think of a realm as a separate space where you can define and manage all aspects of authentication and authorization independently from other realms. This is particularly useful for organizations that need to manage multiple applications or environments with distinct user bases.

• Creating Realms: Administrators can create multiple realms within a single Keycloak instance, each with its own set of configurations and resources.
• Realm Settings: Within the admin console, you can configure realm-specific settings such as login themes, password policies, and session timeouts.

Managing Roles

Roles in Keycloak are used to define permissions and access levels for users. They can be assigned to users directly or through groups, providing a flexible way to manage user access.

• Role Types: Keycloak supports both realm roles and client roles. Realm roles are global to the realm, while client roles are specific to a particular client (application).
• Role Assignment: Administrators can assign roles to users or groups, allowing for granular control over what users can do within the system.

User Settings

Managing users in Keycloak involves configuring user profiles, credentials, and permissions. The admin console provides a comprehensive interface for handling these tasks.

• User Creation and Management: Admins can create new users, manage existing user profiles, and set user-specific attributes.
• Credential Management: Keycloak supports various credential types, including passwords, OTP, and WebAuthn. Admins can reset passwords and configure credential settings for users.
• User Groups: Users can be organized into groups, which can then be assigned roles and permissions collectively, simplifying the management of large user bases.

The admin console’s feature set can be both a strength and a challenge. While it offers extensive control and customization, the number of options can be overwhelming for those new to IAM. However, for experienced administrators, it provides the tools necessary to customize Keycloak according to your software’s requirements.

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Keycloak Pricing Structure

Being open-source, Keycloak eliminates the need for direct licensing fees. And while the software itself is free and open source, hosting and infra isn’t. Let’s break it down:

1. Infrastructure: Hosting Keycloak means managing servers, databases, and storage, which adds operational costs.
2. Ongoing Maintenance: Regular updates and security patches require dedicated resources.
3. Learning Curve: Initial setup and configuration can demand considerable time, particularly for newcomers.

For enterprises needing official support, Red Hat offers a commercial version, Red Hat SSO, which includes licensing fees but simplifies setup and provides SLA-backed assistance.

Alternatively, there are some hosts providing managed services for Keycloak, but getting into each of theirs pricing structures is out of the scope of this article.

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Limitations of Keycloak

While Keycloak excels in many areas, it’s not without its challenges. Here are some considerations to keep in mind:

Technical Considerations

1. Resource Intensity

   • Keycloak can require substantial memory and CPU, especially for larger deployments. This is a common trait among big IAM solutions, as they handle complex authentication and authorization processes.
   • Performance tuning is important as user count grows, ensuring that the system remains responsive and efficient.

2. Configuration Complexity

   • While the initial setup can be straightforward, configuring advanced features like multi-node clusters requires careful planning and understanding.

3. Scaling Considerations

   • As with many enterprise-grade solutions, scaling Keycloak involves additional complexity, such as clustering and cache synchronization.
   • Database performance can become a bottleneck at scale, requiring further optimizations.

Operational Considerations

• Documentation: Keycloak’s documentation is comprehensive, but due to its breadth, it can sometimes feel scattered. This is typical for projects with a wide range of features and use cases.
• Community Support: The community is active and helpful, but finding specific answers for unique edge cases can take time. This is a common scenario in open-source projects where community-driven support is the norm.

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SuperTokens: A Developer-First Alternative

Keycloak’s robust feature set is appealing for enterprises. However, for developers or smaller teams seeking a simpler, more lightweight solution, SuperTokens offers a compelling alternative.

Feature	Keycloak	SuperTokens
Ease of Use	Complex setup	Quick, intuitive setup
Resource Usage	Heavy, especially at scale	Lightweight
Customization	Requires expertise	Developer-friendly
Cost Transparency	Infrastructure-dependent	Predictable pricing

Why Consider SuperTokens?

• Simplicity: Designed for quick integration without sacrificing flexibility.
• Modern Developer Experience: Seamlessly integrates with technologies like React, Node.js, and more.
• Transparent Costs: Clear pricing ensures no surprises down the road.

SuperTokens isn’t necessarily a replacement for Keycloak—it’s a solution tailored to teams that prioritize simplicity and developer productivity.

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Final Thoughts

Keycloak is a powerful IAM tool suited for enterprises with specific and complex requirements. Its feature set and open-source nature make it a go-to choice for large-scale projects. That said, its complexity and operational demands may not be ideal for every scenario.

If you’re a developer or a smaller team looking for a simpler alternative, SuperTokens provides a lightweight, developer-focused approach to authentication without compromising on functionality.

Want to explore a modern, developer-first IAM solution? Try SuperTokens today! 🚀