# Kanidm vs nforwardauth

> Two self-hosted projects, compared on the numbers selfhost.directory tracks live: score, popularity, release cadence and setup effort.

| | Kanidm | nforwardauth |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 67/100 ✓ | 44/100 |
| Rank in category | #3 of 3 in IAM | #28 of 40 in Authentication |
| GitHub stars | 5 512 ✓ | 159 |
| Stars, last 30 days | +108 | — |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 14 ✓ | 1 |
| Latest release | v1.11.2 · 11 Sept 2026 ✓ | v1.5.1 · 10 Jul 2026 |
| Setup | Advanced | Moderate ✓ |
| Official Docker image | Yes | Yes |
| License | MPL-2.0 | MIT |
| Main language | Rust | Rust |

## Which one should you pick?

Kanidm scores 67/100 against 44/100 for nforwardauth, so it is the safer default.

Kanidm ships more often: 14 stable releases in the past year, against 1 for nforwardauth.

If you want the quickest setup, nforwardauth is easier to run; Kanidm needs more configuration.

Kanidm is growing faster right now (+108 stars in 30 days).

## Details

- [Kanidm](https://selfhost.directory/project/kanidm) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/kanidm.md)
- [nforwardauth](https://selfhost.directory/project/nforwardauth) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/nforwardauth.md)

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Source: https://selfhost.directory/compare/kanidm-vs-nforwardauth