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Kanidm vs FreeIPA: catalog facts
Kanidm	FreeIPA
Free Free and open source.	Free Free and open source.
Linux, Self-hosted, Command line	Linux, Web, Self-hosted, Command line
OAuth2, LDAP and passkeys in a single server Unix integration for Linux logins	Integrates LDAP, Kerberos, DNS and certificates in one system Trusts with Microsoft Active Directory
Smaller ecosystem than long-established directory servers Requires running and securing your own server	Linux-centric; built around Fedora and related distributions Many integrated components make it heavy to deploy and operate
Self-hosted	Self-hosted
Open source	Open source
License not stated	License not stated
No account needed	No account needed
Not stated if it works offline	Not stated if it works offline
Official website Full listing and sources Checked September 23, 2026	Official website Full listing and sources Checked September 23, 2026

Catalog facts only. Anything “not stated” is unconfirmed. Check full listings for details.