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Cybersecurity · head to head

Authelia vs K3s

Authelia logo

Authelia

Cybersecurity

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

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
K3s logo

K3s

Cloud

Lightweight certified Kubernetes distribution in a single binary

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; K3s the SQLite default is single-server only; highly available control planes need etcd or an external datastore, which removes much of the simplicity
  • They diverge on capability: Authelia covers Reverse proxy integration, K3s covers Single binary.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 29 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Authelia and K3s actually diverge.

Attributes where Authelia and K3s differ
AttributeAutheliaK3s
PlatformsDocker, Kubernetes, Linux, Self-hostedLinux, ARM, Self-hosted
CategoryCybersecurityCloud

Identical on both: starting price (Free), pricing model (Open source, no licence fee), 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 K3s

  • Single binary
  • SQLite by default
  • Certified conformant
  • Batteries included
  • Low resource footprint
  • Simple install

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 K3s
  • Adding SSO across a small set of internal tools without a full identity platformnot K3s
  • Home and small-team infrastructure behind a single reverse proxynot K3s

K3s

  • Kubernetes on edge sites and IoT hardware where full clusters will not fitnot Authelia
  • Development and CI clusters that must start fast and cost nothingnot Authelia
  • Small production clusters where full Kubernetes is more operations than the workload justifiesnot Authelia
  • Teaching and learning Kubernetes without cloud spendnot 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

K3s

  • The SQLite default is single-server only; highly available control planes need etcd or an external datastore, which removes much of the simplicity
  • Bundled components such as Traefik are opinionated defaults that larger teams often strip out and replace
  • Removed in-tree cloud provider integrations mean cloud-specific features need external controllers
  • Aimed at small and edge clusters, so very large deployments are better served by a standard distribution

Pricing, plan by plan

Authelia

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

K3s

Free
  • K3sFree
    • Full functionality
    • No usage limits
    • 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 K3s if

  • You need single binary.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Linux, ARM, Self-hosted.
  • You also want sqlite by default.
K3s review

Questions people ask

Is Authelia or K3s better?
Neither clearly leads. Authelia starts at Free and K3s at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Authelia or K3s?
Authelia starts at Free and K3s at Free.
Does Authelia or K3s run on more platforms?
Authelia runs on Docker, Kubernetes, Linux, Self-hosted. K3s runs on Linux, ARM, 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 K3s is typically brought in for.
What can Authelia do that K3s cannot?
Authelia covers Reverse proxy integration, Two-factor authentication, Access control rules, Lightweight backends. K3s covers Single binary, SQLite by default, Certified conformant, Batteries included.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Authelia: Is Authelia free?

Yes, open source with no licence fee.

K3s: Is K3s free?

Yes. K3s is open source with no licence fee. SUSE sells commercial support around Rancher separately.

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.

K3s: Is K3s real Kubernetes?

Yes. It is CNCF-certified conformant, so standard manifests, kubectl and Helm charts work without modification.

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.

K3s: Why is K3s smaller than Kubernetes?

It strips legacy, alpha and in-tree cloud provider code, packages everything as one binary, and defaults to SQLite instead of etcd.

K3s: Can K3s run in production?

Yes, and it does, particularly at the edge and for small clusters. For a highly available control plane you need to move off the SQLite default to etcd or an external datastore.

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