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Cybersecurity · head to head

Authelia vs Nitric

Authelia logo

Authelia

Cybersecurity

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

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Nitric logo

Nitric

Cloud

Infrastructure, handled

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; Nitric smaller community compared to Terraform or Pulumi
  • They diverge on capability: Authelia covers Reverse proxy integration, Nitric covers Multi-language support.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 29 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Authelia and Nitric actually diverge.

Attributes where Authelia and Nitric differ
AttributeAutheliaNitric
Pricing modelOpen source, no licence feeUnknown
PlatformsDocker, Kubernetes, Linux, Self-hostedAWS, Azure, GCP, Kubernetes
CategoryCybersecurityCloud

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 Nitric

  • Multi-language support
  • Common resource abstractions
  • Local development
  • Multi-cloud deployment
  • Infrastructure as code generation
  • Vendor lock-in avoidance

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

Nitric

  • Building APIs with multi-cloud deployment capabilitynot Authelia
  • Creating microservices across different cloud providersnot Authelia
  • Developing serverless applications in Python or Gonot 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

Nitric

  • Smaller community compared to Terraform or Pulumi
  • Limited third-party provider plugins compared to dedicated IAC tools
  • Documentation could be more comprehensive

Pricing, plan by plan

Authelia

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

Nitric

Free

No published plan breakdown. See the Nitric 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 Nitric if

  • You need multi-language support.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on AWS, Azure, GCP, Kubernetes.
  • You also want common resource abstractions.
Nitric review

Questions people ask

Is Authelia or Nitric better?
Neither clearly leads. Authelia starts at Free and Nitric at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Authelia or Nitric?
Authelia starts at Free and Nitric at Free.
Does Authelia or Nitric run on more platforms?
Authelia runs on Docker, Kubernetes, Linux, Self-hosted. Nitric runs on AWS, Azure, GCP, Kubernetes.
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 Nitric is typically brought in for.
What can Authelia do that Nitric cannot?
Authelia covers Reverse proxy integration, Two-factor authentication, Access control rules, Lightweight backends. Nitric covers Multi-language support, Common resource abstractions, Local development, Multi-cloud deployment.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Authelia: Is Authelia free?

Yes, open source with no licence fee.

Nitric: Is Nitric free?

Yes, Nitric is an open-source framework. Costs only apply when deploying to cloud providers like AWS, Azure, or GCP.

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.

Nitric: Can I switch cloud providers?

Yes, Nitric lets you write code once and deploy to AWS, Azure, GCP, or Kubernetes without modification.

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.

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