The open-source Keycloak alternative built for AI agents & workloads.
HelixIAM gives you everything you expect from a self-hostable OIDC provider and SAML 2.0 IdP — realms, MFA, passkeys, federation — and adds the things the agent era needs: on-behalf-of delegation for AI agents, keyless workload identity, and EU eIDs. Apache-2.0, signed releases, and a Keycloak importer to migrate in.
HelixIAM vs Keycloak
Keycloak is a mature, excellent project. Here's an honest look at where each fits.
| Capability | Keycloak | HelixIAM |
|---|---|---|
| Open source, self-hostable | Yes (Apache-2.0) | Yes (Apache-2.0) |
| OIDC provider · SAML 2.0 IdP | Yes | Yes |
| Realms, MFA, passkeys, brokering | Yes | Yes |
| AI-agent identity (RFC 8693 on-behalf-of) | Not built in | First-class |
| Keyless workload identity federation | Not built in | First-class |
| Agent/workload kill-switch + attenuation | — | Yes |
| EU eID connectors (DigiD · eHerkenning · eIDAS) | Via custom work | Connectors included |
| Cosign-signed releases + attested SBOM | — | Yes |
| Maturity, scale, ecosystem breadth | Extensive | Newer, focused |
| Migration importer | n/a | Reads Keycloak realm exports |
Choose HelixIAM when…
- AI agents or machine workloads need real, revocable identities
- You want EU data residency and DigiD / eHerkenning / eIDAS connectors
- A modern admin console and signed, SBOM-attested releases matter
- You're starting fresh or migrating with the realm importer
Stay on Keycloak when…
- You need its very large-scale track record today
- You depend on specific Keycloak SPIs or extensions
- Your team already has deep Keycloak operational expertise
HelixIAM speaks the same standards (OIDC, OAuth 2.1, SAML 2.0), so you can adopt it for new workloads without ripping out Keycloak.
Common questions
Is HelixIAM a drop-in Keycloak replacement?
Not drop-in, but close in spirit: HelixIAM is a standards-based OIDC provider and SAML 2.0 IdP with realms, clients, roles, MFA and federation, and it ships a Keycloak realm importer to bring your configuration across. Any application that speaks standard OIDC or SAML works unchanged.
Can I migrate from Keycloak to HelixIAM?
Yes. HelixIAM includes a tested Keycloak realm importer that reads a Keycloak realm export, plus config-as-code import/export so you can move realms between environments. Because both speak OIDC and SAML, relying applications keep working after you repoint them at HelixIAM.
Is HelixIAM open source and self-hostable?
Yes — HelixIAM is Apache-2.0 licensed and runs on your own infrastructure with Docker Compose, Helm, or Kubernetes. Postgres and Redis back it; no third-party control plane and no telemetry. Release images are cosign-signed with an attested SBOM.
How is HelixIAM different from Keycloak?
HelixIAM treats AI agents and machine workloads as first-class identities — RFC 8693 on-behalf-of delegation, keyless workload identity federation, and a revocation kill-switch — alongside the human IAM features. It also ships EU eID connectors (DigiD, eHerkenning, eIDAS) and a modern admin console.
When should I still choose Keycloak?
Keycloak is older, battle-tested at very large scale, and has a huge ecosystem of extensions, guides, and community support. If you need that maturity today, or depend on specific Keycloak SPIs/extensions, Keycloak is a strong choice. HelixIAM is the better fit when agent/workload identity, EU sovereignty, or a modern developer experience matter most.
See HelixIAM on your own stack.
A 30-minute demo: realms, agents, workload identity, and a live migration off legacy IAM — mapped to your use case.
No credit card. Self-hostable. Engineered in Europe.