Self-host Zitadel

updated Jul 2026deployed by usprices checked · Jul 2026Install verified on Ubuntu 26.04 · Aug 2026 · how we test

We earn commissions when you shop through the links below. Full disclosure →

A cloud-native, open-source identity and access management platform — OIDC, SAML, and passwordless auth with multi-tenancy built in, a self-hostable alternative to Auth0 and Okta.

Auth0 / yr$420

Self-hosted / yr~$283

You keep$137/yr

Pocket the difference — spin it up on a cheap VPS in minutes.Start free on Kamatera →

Key facts

CategorySSO & Identity

LicenseAGPL-3.0

StackGo

Min RAM2048 MB

Official imageyes

Measured idle RAM235 MB

Difficulty

Sourcegithub.com/zitadel/zitadel

Websitezitadel.com

Our recommendation

Choose Zitadel when you want a modern, API-first identity platform — passwordless and multi-tenant from the ground up, often described as "a modern Keycloak". It's a strong fit for building auth into your own products. Note it's AGPL-licensed; if that's a problem for your organisation, authentik (MIT core) or Keycloak (Apache-2.0) avoid it.

Follow the Zitadel deploy guide →

What you need

Any VPS with at least 2048 MB of RAM
A domain you control — most self-hosted setups need HTTPS in front of them
About the better part of a day

Where to host itaffiliate disclosure

Hetzner Cloudrun it on

From $23.59/mo · 2 vCPU / 4 GB / 80 GB · EU + US

Get Hetzner Cloud

Kamaterafree trial

From $4/mo · 1 vCPU / 1 GB / 20 GB · US + EU + Asia

Start free on Kamatera →

DigitalOceanalso works on

From $6/mo · 1 vCPU / 1 GB / 25 GB · US + EU + Asia

Deploy on DigitalOcean →

Paid link — we earn a commission if you shop through it.

Install

Run these commands on your server:

# Zitadel — official docker-compose quickstart
curl -LO https://raw.githubusercontent.com/zitadel/zitadel/main/deploy/compose/docker-compose.yml
curl -LO https://raw.githubusercontent.com/zitadel/zitadel/main/deploy/compose/.env.example && cp .env.example .env
docker compose up -d --wait

deploy guideHow to Deploy Zitadel on a VPS vps picksBest VPS for self-hostingbenchmarked quarterly · re-priced monthly

What you take on

Zitadel is modern and capable, with two things worth checking before you adopt it:

non-negotiableIt's AGPL-3.0. The licence carries network-copyleft obligations that some companies won't accept — confirm it's compatible with your use before you build on it.

non-negotiableIt needs its database. Zitadel is event-sourced on Postgres — give it a real database and back it up; it is the source of truth for every identity.

non-negotiableThe ecosystem is younger. It's newer than Keycloak, so there are fewer third-party guides and integrations — strong docs, but you'll blaze a few trails.