SharkAuth vs Keycloak.
Keycloak is the enterprise standard for open-source IAM. SharkAuth is the agent-native standard for the AI era. If you want delegation chains, DPoP, and cascade revocation in a single binary that runs on a $5 VPS, this comparison is for you.
What is SharkAuth?
SharkAuth is an open-source identity platform purpose-built for the agentic era. It ships as a single static Go binary (~29 MB) with embedded SQLite WAL. Zero dependencies, zero configuration. Implements OAuth 2.1, OIDC, RFC 8693 Token Exchange, and RFC 9449 DPoP — all self-contained. MIT licensed.
Head-to-head comparison
SharkAuth- → You want a single binary with zero dependencies
- → You deploy to edge or resource-constrained environments
- → You need agent delegation chains and DPoP
- → You want sub-50ms cold starts
- → You prefer Go over Java
- → You need SAML 2.0 or LDAP federation
- → You require SCIM user provisioning
- → You want a mature ecosystem with 10+ years of production use
- → You have dedicated DevOps for JVM infrastructure
- → You need built-in identity brokering
By the numbers
Frequently asked questions
Can SharkAuth replace Keycloak entirely?
Not yet. Keycloak has 10+ years of ecosystem maturity, including SAML, LDAP, SCIM, and extensive protocol adapters. SharkAuth covers OAuth 2.1, OIDC, passkeys, SSO, and webhooks — enough for modern API-first and agentic applications. If you need SAML or LDAP today, Keycloak remains the right choice.
Why is SharkAuth so much smaller than Keycloak?
SharkAuth is written in Go and embeds SQLite WAL directly in the binary. Keycloak is a Java application that requires a JVM, a servlet container, and an external database (PostgreSQL or MySQL). SharkAuth intentionally trades ecosystem breadth for deployment simplicity.
Does SharkAuth support the same protocols as Keycloak?
SharkAuth supports OAuth 2.1, OIDC, SAML 2.0 (via SP-initiated), and WebAuthn/Passkeys. Keycloak additionally supports LDAP, Kerberos, SCIM, and dozens of protocol adapters. For standard web and API auth, SharkAuth is sufficient. For enterprise directory integration, Keycloak is ahead.
Is SharkAuth production-ready?
SharkAuth v0.1.0 is suitable for production workloads that fit its feature set. It has been tested with OAuth 2.1 conformance, DPoP verification, and cascade revocation benchmarks. However, as with any v0.x software, evaluate it against your specific compliance and feature requirements.
Try SharkAuth in 30 seconds
One command. Zero dependencies. Runs on any machine with a shell.