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Redhat SSO v/s Keycloak: Here Is All You Need to Know

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Redhat SSO and Keycloak are both open-source Identity and Access Management (IAM) tools. An Identity and Access Management (IAM) tool smoothens the process of authentication for applications as well as IT services.

Ensuring that the right people in a company have the correct access to resources is the main objective of the IAM tool. It generally permits the implementation of Single Sign-On (SSO), identity federation, and strong authentication.

We are living in a digital world where securing the web and applications has shifted towards a necessity. Organizations generally have to spend millions of dollars in the form of various financial penalties for unauthorized access to protected data. All websites and apps require reliable tools to manage their users' identities and access.

Well, we all know the uses of Identity and Access Management (IAM). In case you don't, click here to find out. The main use of an IAM solution is that it acts as an Identity Provider (IdP), which means it creates, maintains, and manages the user's digital identities as well as their authentication factors.

But what is the difference between Redhat SSO and Keycloak tools? Which one should you choose? What are the features of the Redhat SSO and Keycloak tools?

Ugh! Too many questions🤯. No worries, this blog is all about Redhat SSO vs Keycloak. At the end of this blog, you will know everything from tip to toe about Redhat SSO and Keycloak.

Let's dig in!

Everything You Need To Know About Redhat SSO

Red Hat Single Sign-On (RH-SSO) is considered the leader of Open Source Access and Identity Management solutions for modern or legacy applications and services. It permits a user to have a single login credential for various applications accessing what is known as a user authentication service. It is based on various famous standards, for instance, SAML 2.0, OpenID Connect, and OAuth 2.0, and can centrally manage fine-grained permissions for applications and services.

It authenticates the end user the same for all the applications the user gains access to. It is beneficial for tracking user activities as well as monitoring their accounts. Redhat SSO even allows for high availability by clustering with cloud providers such as AWS, GCP, and Azure to comply with a hybrid cloud philosophy.

Benefits of Redhat SSO

Open Source Software (OSS)
Redhat SSO is the leader in open-source. There is no license or service fee for using it as it is open-source software. You can access the source code freely. As it is Open Source Software (OSS), adjustments can be made anytime and by anyone. There is no vendor lock-in. Because of this, it is low-priced, powerful, and maintained continuously.

User Friendly
It is very user-friendly and allows you to quickly build scalable and reliable pipelines for Apache Kafka without writing code.

Improves Usability
It is a managed cloud service for building, deploying, and scaling new cloud-native apps or modernizing existing systems that improve usability as well as user experience.

Features Of Redhat SSO

  • One-time password (OTP) policies
  • Centralized password policy
  • Authorization policies per resource or per scope
  • Timed access policy (users or groups of users can log in only between certain time slots)
  • Rule-Based policy
  • Kerberos-based authentication
  • Signed token for security/encryption
  • Multiple-parameter authentication
  • Form validation on login and OTP
  • 2 Factor Authentication-SMS-Authentication Provider
  • Biometric authentication with WebAuth and SSO

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Everything You Need To Know About Keycloak

Keycloak is the open source "Identity and Access Management" (IAM) tool with an Apache License 2.0. It is a project for Red Hat SSO also. You can choose Keycloak if you are in search of something more enterprise-centered. You can opt for this.

With Keycloak, one can secure services in no time as well as add authentication to applications.

Using Keycloak's admin console, companies can log in with social networks very quickly. There is no code or application change. All that is required is social network selection. Administrators can streamline and manage all aspects of the Keycloak server, for instance, enabling and disabling various features using the admin console.

Benefits Of Keycloak

Fast and flexible
There is a constant evolution of new standards, technologies, and functional requirements. Keycloak and its community adapt to these changes very quickly. The instance of current adaptation is the migration to the Quarkus (Java for the cloud) runtime. The Keycloak solution has been designed fundamentally and built for agile, fast-changing application landscapes. With high stability, it will scale up to satisfy the needs of large organizations.

Open Source Software (OSS)
There is no license or service fee for using it as it is open-source software. You can access the source code freely. As it is Open Source Software (OSS), adjustments can be made anytime and by anyone. There is no vendor lock-in. Because of this, it is low-priced, powerful, and maintained continuously.

Proven and Supported
A huge community of contributors and users globally supports Keycloak and provides quick feedback and advice. Red Hat is the main contributor, and it supports Keycloak as RH-SSO in its product suites (EAP, Fuse, and others).

Authorization & Authentication
With minimum effort, it adds authentication to apps as well as security services. Log in to the system using a single account or virtual identity. There is no need to deal with storing users or authenticating users.

System Administration
It will manage the accounts of users seamlessly and maintain data as well as sessions.

Module or Standalone
It can be used as an element of an IT infrastructure or as a standalone solution.

Features Of Keycloak Server

  • Multiple Protocols Support
  • Single Sign-On (SSO)
  • Admin Console
  • User Identity and Access
  • Identity Brokering
  • Social Identity Providers
  • Pages Customization

Why Choose Sennovate's Redhat SSO or Keycloak?

We at Sennovate implement and support all the suites and applications of the Redhat SSO and Keycloak. For example, Sennovate Redhat SSO and Keycloak suites and applications include,

  • Single Sign-On
  • Multi-Factor Authentication
  • Access Management
  • Identity Management APIs.
  • Directory Integration
  • Fast Deployment
  • Security best-practice configurations out-of-the-box

Summing Up

I hope this blog helps you understand what Redhat SSO and Keycloak are. Are you confused and thinking about which one works best for your organization? No worries! Sennovate's experts are here to guide you.

Wrapping up

Hope this blog helps you to understand how to Architect an IAM solution for your startups and the benefits of IAM solution. Creating an effective IAM program goes beyond simply monitoring network access and updating users' accounts. Sennovate is partner with various IAM solutions like Gluu, Forgerock, and others. Is your company ready to build an identity and access management architecture? Sennovate's experts are here to help you.

Having any doubts or want to have a call with us to know more about IAM solutions for your organization?
Contact us right now by clicking here, Sennovate's Experts will explain everything on call in detail.
You can also write a mail to us at hello@sennovate.com or call us on +1 (925) 918–6618.

About Sennovate

Sennovate delivers custom identity and access management (IAM) and managed security operations center (SOC) solutions to businesses around the world. With global partners and a library of 2000+ integrations, 10M+ identities managed, we implement world-class cybersecurity solutions that save your company time and money. We offer a seamless experience with integration across all cloud applications, and a single price for product, implementation, and support. Have questions? The consultation is always free. Email hello@sennovate.com or call us at: +1 (925) 918–6618.

Top comments (1)

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alexagc profile image
Alejandro Gomez Canal

I dont understand the differences, rh-sso and keycloak are the same, the different is that rh-sso is the enterprise version (obviously paid per use) with a few features and premium support.