# 389-ds-base vs keycloak

> Two self-hosted [Authentication projects](https://selfhost.directory/authentication), compared on the numbers selfhost.directory tracks live: score, popularity, release cadence and setup effort.

| | 389-ds-base | keycloak |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 57/100 | 86/100 ✓ |
| Rank in category | #18 of 40 in Authentication | #1 of 40 in Authentication |
| GitHub stars | 300 | 37 581 ✓ |
| Stars, last 30 days | — | +614 |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 18 ✓ | 14 |
| Latest release | 389-ds-base-2.2.11 · 7 Sept 2026 | 26.8.1 · 13 Oct 2026 ✓ |
| Setup | Advanced | Moderate ✓ |
| Official Docker image | No | Yes ✓ |
| License | Other | Apache-2.0 |
| Main language | C | Java |

## Which one should you pick?

keycloak scores 86/100 against 57/100 for 389-ds-base, so it is the safer default.

389-ds-base ships more often: 18 stable releases in the past year, against 14 for keycloak.

If you want the quickest setup, keycloak is easier to run; 389-ds-base needs more configuration.

keycloak is growing faster right now (+614 stars in 30 days).

## Details

- [389-ds-base](https://selfhost.directory/project/389-ds-base) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/389-ds-base.md)
- [keycloak](https://selfhost.directory/project/keycloak) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/keycloak.md)

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Source: https://selfhost.directory/compare/389-ds-base-vs-keycloak