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Auth & Identitydocker-readypermissive-licenseOpen-Core🔴 Full · ~2GB

Authentik: Open-Core alternative to Okta in 2026

Authentik is a modern, flexible identity platform with visually customizable authentication flows and native support for SSO, MFA and an application proxy.

Core is open source, but advanced features or enterprise support may be behind a paid tier — check the license.

Alternative to OktaAlternative to Auth0
License MIT25.9k starsWebsite GitHub Repository

Audit Snapshot

View notes →

  • License — Not verifiable on GitHub

  • GitHub — Active

  • Latest release — version/2026.8.3 · 25 days ago

  • Docker Compose — Not verified

  • Production — Not production-tested by AltFreeStack

Authentik vs. Okta

Pros

  • Visual authentication flow editor and an application proxy with no code changes

Things to consider

  • Requires Postgres and Redis in addition to the server itself

Quick Docker installation guide

Copy this docker-compose.yml, adjust the example passwords and run docker compose up -d on your server. See the full step-by-step guide →

💡 Official SaaS or self-hosted with AltFreeStack?

  • On the official cloud: a recurring monthly fee and usage limits on Okta.
  • On your own VPS: the core is free to self-host on your own server — no more monthly SaaS fee, though some advanced features stay behind a paid plan.
docker-compose.yml
services:
  postgresql:
    image: postgres:16-alpine
    environment:
      POSTGRES_PASSWORD: change-me
      POSTGRES_USER: authentik
      POSTGRES_DB: authentik
    volumes:
      - database:/var/lib/postgresql/data
  redis:
    image: redis:alpine
  server:
    image: ghcr.io/goauthentik/server:2026.8.3
    command: server
    environment:
      AUTHENTIK_SECRET_KEY: change-me-super-secret
      AUTHENTIK_REDIS__HOST: redis
      AUTHENTIK_POSTGRESQL__HOST: postgresql
      AUTHENTIK_POSTGRESQL__PASSWORD: change-me
    ports:
      - "9000:9000"
volumes:
  database: {}

🚀 Deploy in 1 command

Recommended for beginners

Copy this single command and paste it into your freshly created VPS's console (Vultr, DigitalOcean...). It downloads the script, prints it to your screen so you can see exactly what it's about to do (never a blind direct pipe), and only then installs Docker if needed, writes the files with secrets already generated, and starts everything — no nano, no pasting code blocks.

curl -sSL ".../api/deploy?stack=authentik" -o deploy.sh && cat deploy.sh && bash deploy.sh
See what this script does →

This docker-compose corresponds to an actively maintained project — last commit today.

This docker-compose not working for you? Report it on GitHub →

Technical profile

License
MIT
Category
Auth & Identity
Replaces
Okta, Auth0
Tech stack
PythonGoPostgreSQL

Key features

  • Visual authentication flow editor
  • Application proxy with no code changes
  • MFA and conditional access policies

Preview

Authentik interface preview

Public image provided by Authentik on its own website.

💾 Backups in 3 steps (Day 2)

As long as the ./data folder (the "volume" mapped into the container) exists on your server, your data survives any restart or container update — that's the only thing you need to back up.

1. Create a compressed backup on the server

tar -czvf backup-$(date +%F).tar.gz ./data

2. Download it to your computer

From your computer's terminal (not your server's):

scp root@YOUR_IP:~/app/backup-*.tar.gz ./

3. Restore in case of emergency

tar -xzvf backup-file.tar.gz
🌐 Connect your domain with free SSL

Step 1 — Set up the DNS

In your domain registrar's dashboard (Cloudflare, Namecheap, GoDaddy...), create a record:

Type
A
Name/Host
@ (root domain) or a subdomain, e.g. app
Content/Value
Your server's public IP

Wait 5 to 15 minutes for the record to propagate across the internet.

Step 2 — Automatic reverse proxy with Caddy

One single file, no Nginx config or manual certificates — Caddy issues and renews Let's Encrypt HTTPS on its own.

Create a file called Caddyfile:

yourdomain.com {
    reverse_proxy localhost:9000
}

Start Caddy with this command (pulls the image and runs it in the background):

docker run -d -p 80:80 -p 443:443 --name caddy --restart always -v $PWD/Caddyfile:/etc/caddy/Caddyfile -v caddy_data:/data caddy