Feature Comparison: dracory/auth vs Authentik
Comparison of github.com/dracory/auth with Authentik, the flexible self-hosted identity provider.
High-Level Differences
| dracory/auth | Authentik | |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Go library embedded in your app | Full identity provider (Python, self-hosted) |
| Scope | Per-app authentication | IAM, federation, directory, flows |
| Deployment | No extra infrastructure | Multi-service deployment (DB, Redis, workers) |
| Admin UX | Minimal (impersonation) | Rich admin console, policies, flows |
Feature Comparison
| dracory/auth | Authentik | |
|---|---|---|
| Email/password | ✅ | ✅ |
| Otp (codes/links) | ✅ | ⚠️ Via flows |
| Magic links | ✅ | ⚠️ |
| MFA / TOTP / WebAuthn | ❌ | ✅ TOTP, WebAuthn, Duo |
| SSO / OIDC / SAML / LDAP | ❌ | ✅ All |
| Federation (social, SAML IdP) | ❌ | ✅ |
| Multi-tenancy | ❌ | ✅ Brands/tenants |
| Impersonation | ✅ Built-in | ✅ Admin impersonation |
| Ops burden | ✅ None — it's a library | ❌ Significant |
| Multiple login methods simultaneously | ✅ Composable via NewMultiMethodAuth + types.Method (otp, magiclink, password, authknight, custom methods) | {mm} |
|---|---|---|
| Remember-me (extended sessions) | ✅ Built-in opt-in session extension | {rm} |
Legend: ✅ built-in · ⚠️ partial/conditional · ❌ not available
Branding & Layout Options
| Aspect | dracory/auth | Authentik |
|---|---|---|
| Full layout control | ✅ FuncLayout wraps any page body in your own site shell (own <head>, nav, footer) | ✅ Full flow/branding customization, custom CSS & background, templates via blueprints |
| Theming / CSS | ✅ ThemeCSS (any hosted stylesheet / Bootlegance) + CustomCSS inline overrides | ✅ Per-brand themes, custom CSS, dark mode |
| Brand name / logo | ✅ BrandName, BrandTagline, BrandLogoURL rendered above the login card | ✅ Per-brand: title, logo, favicon, background; custom domains |
| Email templates | ✅ Per-flow FuncEmailTemplate* callbacks — full control | ✅ Customizable templates |
When to Choose Authentik
- Centralizing identity across many apps with SSO, federation, MFA, and
directory management — full IAM territory.
- You need an admin console, policies, and staged enrollment/recovery
flows.
When to Choose dracory/auth
- One Go app, one auth layer, no infrastructure — email codes, magic
links, password, impersonation in-process.