Testing · head to head
CircleCI vs Keycloak
Keycloak
Developer Tools
Open-source identity and access management server.
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Each has a real cost: CircleCI the free plan covers 6,000 build minutes and 5 active users a month; Keycloak requires self-hosted deployment and operational expertise to install, configure and maintain
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which CircleCI and Keycloak actually diverge.
Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), user rating (Not yet rated).
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
CircleCI
- Continuous integration pipelines for application codenot Keycloak
- Parallel test execution across containersnot Keycloak
- Docker-based builds with layer cachingnot Keycloak
- Deployment pipelines with approval gatesnot Keycloak
- Self-hosted runners for private infrastructurenot Keycloak
Keycloak
- Organisations requiring self-hosted identity infrastructure for compliance or data residencynot CircleCI
- Companies with existing LDAP/Active Directory systems needing federated authenticationnot CircleCI
- Open-source projects and communities requiring free IAM without licensing costsnot CircleCI
- Enterprises building custom identity workflows requiring fine-grained authorisationnot CircleCI
- Teams with sufficient operational expertise to manage infrastructurenot CircleCI
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
CircleCI
- The free plan covers 6,000 build minutes and 5 active users a month
- Active users are billed at $15 each beyond the included five, and an active user is anyone who commits to a project
- Everything runs on credits, so compute, Docker layer caching at 200 credits a job and IP ranges at 450 credits per GB all draw from the same pool
- Network and storage overage costs 420 credits per GB
- Free credits expire monthly with no rollover, and paid credits expire after a year
- Scale is annual billing only
Keycloak
- Requires self-hosted deployment and operational expertise to install, configure and maintain
- No managed cloud option provided by Red Hat; organisations must operate infrastructure themselves or use third-party distributions
- Clustering and high-availability configurations require additional operational knowledge
- Community support only; commercial support requires third-party vendors or distributions
Pricing, plan by plan
CircleCI
Free- FreeFree
- Up to 6,000 build minutes (small Docker resource class)
- Up to 5 active users per month
- 30,000 free credits per month
- Performance$15/month
- 30,000 credits included monthly
- 5 active users included (additional users $15/month each)
- 80x concurrency
- Scale$null/year
- Custom number of credits
- Customizable user limits
- Unlimited concurrency
Keycloak
Free- Open-sourceFree
- Full platform functionality
- Self-hosted deployment
- Community support
Which should you pick?
Choose Keycloak if
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Self-hosted, Docker, Kubernetes, Linux, Windows, API.
Questions people ask
- Is CircleCI or Keycloak better?
- Neither clearly leads. CircleCI starts at Free and Keycloak at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, CircleCI or Keycloak?
- CircleCI starts at Free and Keycloak at Free.
- Does CircleCI or Keycloak run on more platforms?
- CircleCI runs on Web. Keycloak runs on Self-hosted, Docker, Kubernetes, Linux, Windows, API.
- Can I use CircleCI for free?
- Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
- What is CircleCI best used for?
- CircleCI is most often used for continuous integration pipelines for application code, parallel test execution across containers, docker-based builds with layer caching, deployment pipelines with approval gates. Of those, continuous integration pipelines for application code and parallel test execution across containers are not what Keycloak is typically brought in for.
Answered from the vendors’ own pages
CircleCI: How much does CircleCI Performance plan cost?
CircleCI Performance plan costs $15 USD per month and includes 30,000 credits, 5 active users, 80x concurrency, 5 GB network, and 2 GB storage. Additional users beyond 5 cost $15 each per month.
SourceKeycloak: What protocols does Keycloak support?
Keycloak supports OpenID Connect, OAuth 2.0 and SAML 2.0 protocols for authentication and authorisation.
SourceCircleCI: Can I purchase additional credits on CircleCI Performance plan?
Yes, additional credits are available at $15 for every 25,000 credits purchased. Paid credits roll over month to month and expire after one year; free plan credits expire monthly without rollover.
SourceKeycloak: Can Keycloak integrate with existing user directories?
Yes. Keycloak supports user federation with LDAP and Active Directory systems, allowing organisations to leverage existing user directories.
SourceCircleCI: What is included in the CircleCI free plan?
The free plan includes up to 6,000 build minutes per month (small Docker resource class), 5 active users, 30,000 free credits monthly, 30x concurrency, 1 GB network, 2 GB storage, and community support. No credit card required.
SourceKeycloak: Is Keycloak free?
Yes. Keycloak is fully open-source and free to deploy and use. No licensing fees are required.
SourceCircleCI: What are the Scale plan limits and pricing?
CircleCI Scale plan offers custom pricing billed annually with unlimited concurrency, 50 GB network, 200 GB storage, customizable credits and users, enterprise controls, and GPU environment access. Requires contacting sales for a quote.
SourceRelated pages
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