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Auth & Identitydocker-readypermissive-license100% FOSS🟡 Standard · ~1GB

Ory: Open Source alternative to Auth0 in 2026

Ory is a composable identity suite (Kratos for users, Hydra for OAuth2/OIDC) designed API-first, for developers who want full control over the flow.

Alternative to Auth0Alternative to Cognito
License Apache-2.013.9k starsWebsite GitHub Repository

Audit Snapshot

View notes →

  • License — Matches GitHub

  • GitHub — Reduced maintenance

  • Latest release — v26.2.0 · 6 months ago

  • Docker Compose — Partial

  • Production — Not production-tested by AltFreeStack

Ory vs. Auth0

Pros

  • Maximum flexibility to build your own login frontend

Things to consider

  • Steeper learning curve since it ships with no ready-made UI

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 Auth0.
  • On your own VPS: 100% free software on your own server, with no artificial row, project or user limits.
docker-compose.yml
services:
  kratos:
    image: oryd/kratos:v26.2.0
    command: serve -c /etc/config/kratos/kratos.yml --dev
    environment:
      DSN: postgres://kratos:change-me@postgres:5432/kratos?sslmode=disable
    ports:
      - "4433:4433"
      - "4434:4434"
    volumes:
      - ./kratos-config:/etc/config/kratos
  postgres:
    image: postgres:16-alpine
    environment:
      POSTGRES_USER: kratos
      POSTGRES_PASSWORD: change-me
      POSTGRES_DB: kratos

🚀 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=ory" -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 2 months ago.

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

Technical profile

License
Apache-2.0
Category
Auth & Identity
Replaces
Auth0, Cognito
Tech stack
GoPostgreSQL

Key features

  • 100% API-first, no imposed UI
  • Kratos (users) + Hydra (OAuth2/OIDC) separately
  • Scales horizontally with a stateless app

Preview

Ory interface preview

Public image provided by Ory 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:4433
}

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