AltFreeStack
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Auth & Identitydocker-readypermissive-licenseOpen-Core🟡 Standard · ~1GB

SuperTokens: Open-Core alternative to Auth0 in 2026

SuperTokens offers per-language/framework SDKs and a lightweight session server, built to integrate in minutes into existing apps without rewriting the login flow.

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

Alternative to Auth0Alternative to Clerk
License Apache-2.015.3k starsWebsite GitHub Repository

Audit Snapshot

View notes →

  • License — Not verifiable on GitHub

  • GitHub — Active

  • Latest release — v12.2.0 · 1 month ago

  • Docker Compose — Not verified

  • Production — Not production-tested by AltFreeStack

SuperTokens vs. Auth0

Pros

  • Very fast integration thanks to the SDKs

Things to consider

  • Less flexible than Ory/Keycloak for very custom flows

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: 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:
  supertokens:
    image: registry.supertokens.io/supertokens/supertokens-postgresql:latest
    environment:
      POSTGRESQL_CONNECTION_URI: "postgresql://supertokens:change-me@db:5432/supertokens"
    ports:
      - "3567:3567"
  db:
    image: postgres:16-alpine
    environment:
      POSTGRES_USER: supertokens
      POSTGRES_PASSWORD: change-me
      POSTGRES_DB: supertokens

🚀 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=supertokens" -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
Apache-2.0
Category
Auth & Identity
Replaces
Auth0, Clerk
Tech stack
JavaPostgreSQL

Key features

  • Official SDKs for React, Next.js, Node, Python...
  • Secure session management by default
  • Social and passwordless login included

Preview

SuperTokens interface preview

Public image provided by SuperTokens 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:3567
}

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