Open-source identity and access management platform sponsored by Red Hat, deployable entirely inside your own EU infrastructure.
Strong product, but introduces a US-owned managed identity dependency at the centre of the stack.
Open-source IAM platform that you can deploy entirely inside EU infrastructure with no vendor data path.
| Feature | Okta | Keycloak |
|---|---|---|
| Source model | Proprietary SaaS | Apache 2.0 open source |
| Vendor data path | All authentication flows touch the vendor | Zero vendor data path when self-hosted |
| Sponsor entity | Direct US vendor relationship | Sponsored by Red Hat, but no service relationship required |
| Deployment control | Vendor-controlled | Operator-controlled inside chosen infrastructure |
Keycloak earns a place in EU Stacks despite its US-sponsored upstream because the operating model removes the vendor dependency that usually concerns European procurement teams. When self-hosted on EU infrastructure, no authentication data leaves the operator’s environment.
The product is mature, widely deployed across European public sector and enterprise systems, and benefits from a large operational ecosystem that smaller European alternatives cannot match yet.
The honest tradeoff is that the upstream is sponsored by a US corporation. For organizations that want the project itself to be EU-owned, ZITADEL or fully community-driven alternatives are a better match. For organizations that prioritize zero vendor data path and operational maturity, Keycloak remains hard to beat.
Tools that typically complement this profile in a cleaner European software stack.
One of the most practical EU infrastructure defaults for startups that want predictable costs and regional clarity.
File sync, document collaboration, chat, and calendar capabilities with strong deployment control.
Public cloud and infrastructure platform for teams that want an explicitly European cloud provider with a modern product surface.
Common questions about compliance, hosting, and capabilities.
Keycloak is open-source software under Apache 2.0. The upstream project is sponsored by Red Hat, which is owned by IBM. When self-hosted inside EU infrastructure without using a Red Hat managed service, the operator controls the data path entirely.
Keycloak is hosted in Self-hosted; commonly deployed in EU-region Kubernetes clusters and headquartered in Open-source project; sponsor Red Hat is US-headquartered, operating under Deployment jurisdiction depends on where you run it jurisdiction.
Yes, Keycloak is open source under the Apache 2.0 license. It can also be self-hosted for full data control.
Keycloak is a European alternative to Okta. Open-source IAM platform that you can deploy entirely inside EU infrastructure with no vendor data path.