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Cybersecurity · head to head

Authelia vs GraphQL Playground

Authelia logo

Authelia

Cybersecurity

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

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
GraphQL Playground logo

GraphQL Playground

APIs

GraphQL IDE and documentation tool for building GraphQL APIs

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; GraphQL Playground apollo's own documentation states GraphQL Playground is officially retired and no longer recommended, directing users to Apollo Sandbox instead
  • They diverge on capability: Authelia covers Reverse proxy integration, GraphQL Playground covers Query building.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Authelia and GraphQL Playground actually diverge.

Attributes where Authelia and GraphQL Playground differ
AttributeAutheliaGraphQL Playground
Pricing modelOpen source, no licence feeopen-source
PlatformsDocker, Kubernetes, Linux, Self-hostedWeb, Electron, Self-hosted
CategoryCybersecurityAPIs
FoundedUnknown2018

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 GraphQL Playground

  • Query building
  • Schema introspection
  • Real-time testing
  • GraphQL servers
  • Apollo Studio
  • Custom servers
  • Web support
  • Electron support

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 GraphQL Playground
  • Adding SSO across a small set of internal tools without a full identity platformnot GraphQL Playground
  • Home and small-team infrastructure behind a single reverse proxynot GraphQL Playground

GraphQL Playground

  • API Developmentnot Authelia
  • API Gatewaynot Authelia
  • API Testingnot Authelia
  • API Documentationnot Authelia
  • Microservicesnot 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

GraphQL Playground

  • Apollo's own documentation states GraphQL Playground is officially retired and no longer recommended, directing users to Apollo Sandbox instead

Pricing, plan by plan

Authelia

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

GraphQL Playground

Free
  • Open SourceFree
    • Full GraphQL IDE
    • Community support

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 GraphQL Playground if

  • You need query building.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Electron, Self-hosted.
  • You also want schema introspection.
GraphQL Playground review

Questions people ask

Is Authelia or GraphQL Playground better?
Neither clearly leads. Authelia starts at Free and GraphQL Playground at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Authelia or GraphQL Playground?
Authelia starts at Free and GraphQL Playground at Free.
Does Authelia or GraphQL Playground run on more platforms?
Authelia runs on Docker, Kubernetes, Linux, Self-hosted. GraphQL Playground runs on Web, Electron, Self-hosted.
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 GraphQL Playground is typically brought in for.
What can Authelia do that GraphQL Playground cannot?
Authelia covers Reverse proxy integration, Two-factor authentication, Access control rules, Lightweight backends. GraphQL Playground covers Query building, Schema introspection, Real-time testing, GraphQL servers.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Authelia: Is Authelia free?

Yes, open source with no licence fee.

GraphQL Playground: Is GraphQL Playground free to use?

GraphQL Playground is a testing tool for Apollo Server and is free to use as part of the Apollo Server documentation. However, the broader Apollo GraphQL platform has various paid tiers available for production use.

Source
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.

GraphQL Playground: Is GraphQL Playground part of a paid product?

GraphQL Playground is a testing tool within the Apollo ecosystem. While Playground itself is free, Apollo offers paid tiers starting at $5 per million requests for the Developer tier, with Standard and Enterprise plans available at custom pricing.

Source
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.

GraphQL Playground: What is the cost structure for Apollo GraphQL's paid plans?

Apollo uses volume-based tiered pricing for requests: first 250M operations cost $5.00 per million plus $2.00 for performance add-on; next 750M operations are $4.25 per million plus $1.50 add-on; additional tiers scale down to $3.00 per million plus $0.50 add-on for operations over 5 billion.

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