Firebase Authentication vs ORY Kratos: What are the differences?

Introduction

Firebase Authentication and ORY Kratos are both popular authentication platforms for websites and applications. However, they have key differences that set them apart from each other. In this section, I will outline six specific differences between Firebase Authentication and ORY Kratos.

1. User Management: Firebase Authentication offers a comprehensive user management system. It provides features like user creation, sign-in with email/password, social login integration, and password reset. On the other hand, ORY Kratos focuses more on identity management and does not provide out-of-the-box user management features such as user creation and password reset.

2. Customizability: Firebase Authentication offers a degree of customizability through the Firebase Authentication UI, which can be branded to match the website or application. ORY Kratos, on the other hand, provides highly customizable and extensible authentication workflows, allowing developers to tailor the user journey to their specific requirements.

3. Integration with Other Services: Firebase Authentication seamlessly integrates with other Firebase services such as Cloud Firestore and Cloud Functions, providing a complete backend solution. ORY Kratos, on the other hand, is designed to be integrated with existing systems and services, making it suitable for more complex and diverse architectures.

4. Identity Providers: Firebase Authentication supports a wide range of identity providers out of the box, including Google, Facebook, Twitter, and GitHub. ORY Kratos also supports multiple identity providers but requires additional configuration and integration efforts to support specific providers.

5. Server Requirements: Firebase Authentication is a cloud-based service provided by Google, which means developers do not need to maintain server resources for authentication. ORY Kratos, on the other hand, requires server setup and maintenance, making it more suitable for organizations that have the resources to manage their own infrastructure.

6. Pricing Model: Firebase Authentication follows a pay-as-you-go pricing model, where developers are billed based on the number of monthly active users. ORY Kratos is an open-source solution, offering free usage but requiring developers to manage their infrastructure costs.

In Summary, Firebase Authentication provides a more comprehensive user management system, seamless integration with other Firebase services, and a pay-as-you-go pricing model, while ORY Kratos offers a high degree of customizability, extensibility, and the ability to integrate with existing systems.