Keycloak

What it is:

Keycloak is an open-source Identity and Access Management (IAM) platform developed by Red Hat, designed to provide secure authentication, authorization, and identity federation for both customer-facing (CIAM) and workforce applications. It supports standards such as OIDC, OAuth2, and SAML, and includes features like MFA, FIDO2, and social identity federation. Keycloak can be deployed on-premises, in containers, or in the cloud, making it a flexible option for Hybrid Identity and IAM Modernization initiatives.

Why it matters:

As an open-source IAM platform, Keycloak offers a cost-effective and customizable solution for organizations needing enterprise-grade identity without vendor lock-in. It is widely adopted by fintechs, banks, and gaming operators looking to integrate CIAM, password-less authentication, and Adaptive Security quickly. Its container-friendly architecture and compatibility with Infrastructure-as-Code (IaC) make it ideal for Cloud Migrations, Zero-Downtime IAM deployments, and Containerized IAM stacks.

How it works:

• Authentication & Federation: Provides a centralized authentication service with support for MFA, WebAuthn/FIDO2, and integration with external identity providers via SAML and OIDC.

• User & Session Management: Stores user data in relational databases or external LDAP directories and supports distributed session caching for scalability.

• Customizable IAM Journeys: Uses flexible authentication flows to design user onboarding, password-less login, eKYC, and risk-based access policies.

• Cloud & Container Ready: Designed for Kubernetes and container deployments, Keycloak integrates seamlessly with Helm, Terraform, and GitOps for automated provisioning and Zero-Downtime Migration.