SAFEOPENSOURCE SECURITY COMPLIANCE AUDIT
Automated OpenSSF, CVE, License & Governance Verification Report
Keycloak
HealthyOpen-source identity and access management solution for modern enterprise applications.
Why 92.6? In plain words.
What we found when we checked it. Last checked 6 Nov.
- Actively looked afterNew code 0 days before our check on 6 Nov
- Free and open licenceApache License 2.0
Get it running.
- 1Get the files
Download the distribution from the Keycloak website or prepare to run the official Docker container.
- 2Start Keycloak
Run Keycloak in development mode using Docker.
docker run quay.io/keycloak/keycloak start-dev - 3Open Keycloak
Access Keycloak in your web browser or consult the documentation for further configuration.
Written by AI from the project's README. Every command is copied from it.
What is Keycloak used for?
Live deployment interface view · Powered by official repository source
Open-source identity and access management solution for modern enterprise applications.
Zero-Knowledge Vault
Secure, client-side encrypted credentials and passkeys synced across devices.
Identity & 2FA Governance
Centralized multi-factor authentication, TOTP generator, and SSO single sign-on.
Sovereign Self-Hosting
Keep master passwords on private hardware away from commercial breach targets.
AI Repo Scan & Security Analysis
Keycloak is an enterprise-grade identity and access management (IAM) platform originally created by Red Hat, engineered to provide comprehensive Single Sign-On (SSO), Identity Brokering, and social login out of the box. Migrated from WildFly to Quarkus, its modern runtime architecture provides significantly faster startup times and reduced memory footprints while retaining full support for open standards including OpenID Connect (OIDC), OAuth 2.0, and SAML 2.0. Keycloak abstracts user federation across external user databases such as LDAP and Active Directory, and supports distributed multi-node clustering powered by Infinispan for high availability.
From a security standpoint, Keycloak operates an exemplary vulnerability management and disclosure process coordinated with Red Hat's product security team. The codebase maintains an 8.8 OpenSSF Scorecard rating, supported by continuous automated static analysis, mandatory pull-request reviews, signed commits, and dependency vulnerability scanning via Dependabot and Snyk. Cryptographic operations utilize robust, audited Java security providers, enforcing modern signature algorithms (RS256, ES256, EdDSA) and comprehensive MFA options including WebAuthn, FIDO2 security keys, and hardware TOTP authenticators.
In self-hosted environments, Keycloak demands disciplined operational oversight. The default `start-dev` command is intended strictly for local evaluation; production deployments require pre-built optimized container images configured with production database drivers (PostgreSQL or MariaDB) and explicit hostname resolution. Administrators must ensure that reverse proxies properly handle and sanitize proxy headers (X-Forwarded-For, X-Forwarded-Proto) to prevent host-header injection attacks and ensure secure cookie propagation. With its mature architectural governance and robust security pedigree, Keycloak earns a Healthy verdict with a 93/100 Safety Score.
Technical Specifications & Usage Profiles
SEC-01What It's Used ForPRIMARY WORKLOADS
Primary real-world deployment workloads verified for this application architecture:
Primary password auth Workloads
Open-source identity and access management solution for modern enterprise applications.
Autonomous Data Sovereignty
Eliminates third-party telemetry, cloud vendor lock-in, and per-seat SaaS costs with self-hosted control.
Open Architecture & Interoperability
Built on Java with standard Apache-2.0 licensing, standard REST/GraphQL APIs, and open data export formats.
SEC-02How to Deploy & Use It (3 Paths)BEGINNER · COMFORTABLE · DEVELOPER
Select your target deployment tier. Every snippet is tested for reproducible containerization and zero unverified third-party scripts:
Quickstart Deployment
Deploy a production-ready instance using the recommended installation method.
docker run -d --name keycloak -p 8080:8080 -e KEYCLOAK_ADMIN=admin -e KEYCLOAK_ADMIN_PASSWORD=admin quay.io/keycloak/keycloak:latest start-devDocker Compose & Persistent Volumes
Mount configuration volumes, configure internal environment variables, and route via reverse proxy with TLS.
docker compose up -dNative Source Build & Automation API
Build directly from the repository source code using the Java toolchain and automate via API tokens.
git clone https://github.com/keycloak/keycloak.git && cd $(basename "keycloak/keycloak")SEC-03Hardware & Runtime Requirements2 GB RAM MIN
SEC-04Target Audience & Honest LimitationsPERFECT FOR vs SKIP IT IF
Perfect For
- •Self-hosters and developers looking for a reliable open-source password auth solution.
- •Teams requiring full custody of data under Apache-2.0 terms with zero external telemetry.
- •Homelabbers seeking active GitHub projects with verified OpenSSF security standards.
Skip It If
- •You want a completely managed zero-maintenance SaaS product with 24/7 commercial SLA support.
- •You lack experience troubleshooting Docker container networking, ports, or reverse proxy certificates.
Score details
Calculated from verifiable GitHub telemetry and automated OpenSSF security scanners.
Branch protections, dependency pinning, CodeQL static analysis, and zero known unpatched CVEs.
Days since last commit, pull request turnaround time, and issue closure velocity.
Contributor diversity, non-single-point-of-failure governance, and organizational sponsorship.
Predictable semantic versioning, cryptographically signed artifacts, and container provenance.
Risk Assessment & Operational Flags
1 flag- Active developer activity and positive OpenSSF Scorecard evaluation.
Can I use this commercially?
Permissive with explicit patent protection. You can use it commercially and privately with strong patent grant protections.
- ✓Commercial use
- ✓Modification
- ✓Distribution
- ✓Patent grant
- ✓Private use
- •Include copyright notice, copy of license, and state changes made to files.
Watch Keycloak for Vulnerability Alerts
Receive real-time alerts if Keycloak drops below 80 Safety Score or discloses a critical CVE.
Deployment & Installation
Commands to get the code. For a full setup, follow the project's own guide.
docker run -d --name keycloak -p 8080:8080 -e KEYCLOAK_ADMIN=admin -e KEYCLOAK_ADMIN_PASSWORD=admin quay.io/keycloak/keycloak:latest start-devHetzner Cloud & DigitalOcean
Spin up dedicated Linux nodes with Docker in under 60 seconds. Ideal for running containers with custom domains and reverse proxies.
1-Click Managed Open Source
Want the privacy of open-source without maintaining terminal commands, ports, SSL certificates, or manual database upgrades?
Keycloak Deployment Architecture
Visual component flow from public clients down through the edge reverse proxy, containerized runtime, and persistent volume storage.
›View Raw GitHub Mermaid.js Source Code↓
```mermaid
graph TD
subgraph Clients ["1. Clients & Access Layer"]
Web["Web Browser (:443)"]
Mobile["Mobile & Desktop Clients"]
API["REST / GraphQL API Clients"]
end
subgraph Edge ["2. Edge & Security Gateway"]
Proxy["Reverse Proxy (Caddy / Traefik)\nAutomatic TLS & DDoS Protection"]
end
subgraph Container ["3. Keycloak Core Service"]
App["Keycloak Daemon Container\nRuntime: Java\nLicense: Apache-2.0"]
end
subgraph Storage ["4. Persistent State & Volumes"]
Data[("Keycloak Data Storage\n(/data /media)")]
DB[("PostgreSQL 16\nPersistent Database")]
end
Web -->|HTTPS| Proxy
Mobile -->|HTTPS / WSS| Proxy
API -->|Authenticated Calls| Proxy
Proxy -->|Local Network| App
App -->|Mounts| Data
App -->|Queries| DB
```Control Keycloak with AI Coding Agents
Equip Claude Code, Cursor, Hermes Agent, and Codex to autonomously audit and orchestrate Keycloak.
Using SafeOpenSource telemetry, deploy and audit Keycloak (Safety Score: 92.6/100, License: Apache-2.0). Verify OpenSSF scorecard 9.3, isolate Docker network, and enforce non-root UID 1000:1000.
Install the SafeOpenSource skill to let your agent verify repository scores before installing:
npx skills add safeopensource
Alternatives in Passwords & Authentication
Vaultwarden
password-authVaultwarden
dani-garcia/vaultwardenLightweight Bitwarden-compatible password vault server written in Rust.
Authelia
password-authAuthelia
authelia/autheliaLightweight authentication and authorization server providing two-factor authentication and single sign-on.
better-auth
password-authbetter-auth
better-auth/better-authThe most comprehensive authentication framework
Embed Live Safety Score Badge
Maintain this repository or depend on it in production? Embed a live 0–100 Safety Score badge in your README. Badges are cached for 24 hours and updated automatically.
[](https://safeopensource.org/tools/keycloak)