Zitadel

Zitadel is an open-source identity and access management platform. It provides a centralized system for managing user authentication and authorization, supporting both B2B and B2C use cases. The software is deployed as a server and can be run via Docker Compose for self-hosting or used as a managed cloud service. It is designed to secure SaaS products and internal applications by providing a comprehensive identity stack out of the box.

The platform focuses on multi-tenancy and API-first integration, allowing developers to manage users across different organizational levels. It supports various identity protocols and deployment options, including a self-hosted version that utilizes PostgreSQL 14 or higher for data storage. By providing parity between its cloud and self-hosted versions, it ensures that teams can migrate their identity infrastructure without changing their codebase.

Key features

• Support for OIDC, SAML 2.0, and SCIM 2.0
• Multi-factor authentication via OTP, U2F, email, and SMS
• Passkey support using FIDO2 and WebAuthn
• Native multi-tenancy with a hierarchy of systems, organizations, and projects
• API access via gRPC, connectRPC, and REST
• Event-driven architecture providing a full immutable audit trail
• Custom actions for webhooks and token enrichment
• Role-based access control (RBAC) and delegated role management
• Self-registration with email and phone verification

Zitadel is designed for architects who require strict data isolation and high scalability. Its architecture ensures that every mutation is recorded as an immutable event, which can be audited or streamed to external systems via webhooks. The system provides a management console for administrators to handle organization branding, project settings, and user registration flows. It is intended for teams building complex identity infrastructures that require granular control over authorization and identity brokering with pre-built templates.

Zitadel is a flexible identity infrastructure that avoids vendor lock-in through its open-source codebase and API-first design.