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Software · head to head

Keycloak vs Netlify

Keycloak logo

Keycloak

Software

Open-source identity and access management server.

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Netlify logo

Netlify

Software

The fastest way to build the fastest sites

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Keycloak requires self-hosted deployment and operational expertise to install, configure and maintain; Netlify the free tier is an individual account with 300 credits; team members require the Pro plan at $20 a month

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Keycloak and Netlify actually diverge.

Attributes where Keycloak and Netlify differ
AttributeKeycloakNetlify
Pricing modelopen-sourcefreemium
PlatformsSelf-hosted, Docker, Kubernetes, Linux, Windows, APIWeb
FoundedUnknown2014

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

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 Keycloak

Nothing recorded that Netlify does not also cover.

Only in Netlify

  • Continuous deployment
  • Instant rollbacks
  • Deploy previews
  • Split testing
  • Forms handling
  • Identity/Auth
  • Serverless functions
  • Edge handlers

What people use each for

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

Keycloak

  • Organisations requiring self-hosted identity infrastructure for compliance or data residencynot Netlify
  • Companies with existing LDAP/Active Directory systems needing federated authenticationnot Netlify
  • Open-source projects and communities requiring free IAM without licensing costsnot Netlify
  • Enterprises building custom identity workflows requiring fine-grained authorisationnot Netlify
  • Teams with sufficient operational expertise to manage infrastructurenot Netlify

Netlify

  • Hosting static sites and frontend frameworks with global CDN deliverynot Keycloak
  • Deploy previews on every pull requestnot Keycloak
  • Serverless functions alongside a static sitenot Keycloak
  • Netlify Database and Blob storage for small application statenot Keycloak

Where each one falls short

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

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

Netlify

  • The free tier is an individual account with 300 credits; team members require the Pro plan at $20 a month
  • Everything is metered in credits, so bandwidth at 20 credits per GB and production deploys at 15 credits each consume the allowance in ways a bandwidth figure alone would not show
  • Compute is billed at 10 credits per GB-hour, so server-rendered work costs more than static hosting
  • Running past the allowance means buying credit packs, at $5 for 500 on Personal and $10 for 1,500 on Pro
  • AI inference is priced by model rather than at a flat credit rate

Pricing, plan by plan

Keycloak

Free
  • Open-sourceFree
    • Full platform functionality
    • Self-hosted deployment
    • Community support

Netlify

Free
  • StarterFree
    • 100GB bandwidth
    • 300 build minutes
    • 1 concurrent build
  • Pro$19/month
    • 400GB bandwidth
    • 25,000 build minutes
    • 3 concurrent builds
  • Business$99/month
    • 600GB bandwidth
    • 35,000 build minutes
    • 5 concurrent builds
  • Enterprise$undefined/month
    • Custom bandwidth
    • Custom build minutes
    • Unlimited concurrent builds

Which should you pick?

Choose Keycloak if

  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Self-hosted, Docker, Kubernetes, Linux, Windows, API.
Keycloak review

Choose Netlify if

  • You need continuous deployment.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You also want instant rollbacks.
Netlify review

Questions people ask

Is Keycloak or Netlify better?
Neither clearly leads. Keycloak starts at Free and Netlify at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Keycloak or Netlify?
Keycloak starts at Free and Netlify at Free.
Does Keycloak or Netlify run on more platforms?
Keycloak runs on Self-hosted, Docker, Kubernetes, Linux, Windows, API. Netlify runs on Web.
Can I use Keycloak for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is Keycloak best used for?
Keycloak is most often used for organisations requiring self-hosted identity infrastructure for compliance or data residency, companies with existing ldap/active directory systems needing federated authentication, open-source projects and communities requiring free iam without licensing costs, enterprises building custom identity workflows requiring fine-grained authorisation. Of those, organisations requiring self-hosted identity infrastructure for compliance or data residency and companies with existing ldap/active directory systems needing federated authentication are not what Netlify is typically brought in for.
What can Keycloak do that Netlify cannot?
Netlify covers Continuous deployment, Instant rollbacks, Deploy previews, Split testing.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Keycloak: What protocols does Keycloak support?

Keycloak supports OpenID Connect, OAuth 2.0 and SAML 2.0 protocols for authentication and authorisation.

Source
Keycloak: 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.

Source
Keycloak: Is Keycloak free?

Yes. Keycloak is fully open-source and free to deploy and use. No licensing fees are required.

Source
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Related pages

More on Keycloak

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