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MIT Kerberos vs Samba: catalog facts
MIT Kerberos	Samba
Free Free implementation published by MIT.	Free Free and open source under the GNU GPL.
Windows, Self-hosted, Command line	Linux, Self-hosted
Reference implementation of a long-established protocol Still receiving releases, most recently krb5-1.22.2	Serves files and printers to Windows, macOS and Linux clients Can run as an Active Directory domain controller
Complex to set up and administer Mostly configured through text files and command-line tools	Configuration can be complex, especially for AD roles Runs on Linux and Unix-like systems only
Downloadable app, Self-hosted	Downloadable app, Self-hosted
Open source	Open source
License not stated	License: GPL-3.0
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 October 1, 2026	Official website Full listing and sources Checked September 23, 2026

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