Softwr

Cybersecurity · head to head

Authelia vs GitLab

Authelia logo

Authelia

Cybersecurity

Open-source authentication and two-factor portal for reverse proxies

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
GitLab logo

GitLab

Technology

The One DevOps Platform

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Authelia depends on a reverse proxy: it is not a standalone identity provider; GitLab baseline requires 8 vCPU and 16 GB RAM for single-node installations; resource-intensive
  • They diverge on capability: Authelia covers Reverse proxy integration, GitLab covers Git repository management.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Authelia and GitLab actually diverge.

Attributes where Authelia and GitLab differ
AttributeAutheliaGitLab
Pricing modelOpen source, no licence feeopen-source
PlatformsDocker, Kubernetes, Linux, Self-hostedLinux, Kubernetes, Docker, Cloud (AWS, GCP, Azure)
CategoryCybersecurityTechnology
FoundedUnknown2011

Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), user rating (Not yet rated).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Authelia

  • Reverse proxy integration
  • Two-factor authentication
  • Access control rules
  • Lightweight backends

Only in GitLab

  • Git repository management
  • CI/CD pipelines
  • Issue tracking
  • Code review
  • Wiki
  • Container registry
  • Security scanning
  • Monitoring

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Authelia

  • Putting a login and 2FA in front of self-hosted services that have nonenot GitLab
  • Adding SSO across a small set of internal tools without a full identity platformnot GitLab
  • Home and small-team infrastructure behind a single reverse proxynot GitLab

GitLab

  • Git repository management and version controlnot Authelia
  • CI/CD pipeline automationnot Authelia
  • DevOps and release managementnot Authelia
  • Security and compliance workflowsnot Authelia

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Authelia

  • Depends on a reverse proxy: it is not a standalone identity provider
  • Configuration is YAML-first with no administrative interface, so changes mean editing files
  • Not a full IAM: user management, provisioning and federation are limited compared with Keycloak
  • Scales poorly as an organisation-wide identity solution, which is not its target

GitLab

  • Baseline requires 8 vCPU and 16 GB RAM for single-node installations; resource-intensive
  • PostgreSQL is mandatory; no support for alternative databases
  • Redis or Valkey cache required; adds infrastructure complexity
  • High-availability deployments require inter-node latency below 5 ms; difficult to achieve across geographically distributed sites
  • Requires self-hosting and maintenance; GitLab.com SaaS only available to GitLab team members for administration

Pricing, plan by plan

Authelia

Free
  • AutheliaFree
    • Full functionality
    • No usage limits
    • Community support

GitLab

Free

No published plan breakdown. See the GitLab review.

Which should you pick?

Choose Authelia if

  • You need reverse proxy integration.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Docker, Kubernetes, Linux, Self-hosted.
  • You also want two-factor authentication.
Authelia review

Choose GitLab if

  • You need git repository management.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Linux, Kubernetes, Docker, Cloud (AWS, GCP, Azure).
  • You also want ci/cd pipelines.
GitLab review

Questions people ask

Is Authelia or GitLab better?
Neither clearly leads. Authelia starts at Free and GitLab at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Authelia or GitLab?
Authelia starts at Free and GitLab at Free.
Does Authelia or GitLab run on more platforms?
Authelia runs on Docker, Kubernetes, Linux, Self-hosted. GitLab runs on Linux, Kubernetes, Docker, Cloud (AWS, GCP, Azure).
Can I use Authelia for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is Authelia best used for?
Authelia is most often used for putting a login and 2fa in front of self-hosted services that have none, adding sso across a small set of internal tools without a full identity platform, home and small-team infrastructure behind a single reverse proxy. Of those, putting a login and 2fa in front of self-hosted services that have none and adding sso across a small set of internal tools without a full identity platform are not what GitLab is typically brought in for.
What can Authelia do that GitLab cannot?
Authelia covers Reverse proxy integration, Two-factor authentication, Access control rules, Lightweight backends. GitLab covers Git repository management, CI/CD pipelines, Issue tracking, Code review.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Authelia: Is Authelia free?

Yes, open source with no licence fee.

Authelia: Does Authelia need a reverse proxy?

Yes. It integrates through forward authentication with Nginx, Traefik, Caddy or HAProxy rather than sitting in front of traffic itself.

Authelia: Authelia or Keycloak?

Authelia is far lighter and aimed at protecting self-hosted services behind a proxy. Keycloak is a full identity and access management platform, and much more to run.

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