Casbin vs ORY Hydra: What are the differences?

Key Differences Between Casbin and ORY Hydra

Casbin and ORY Hydra are two popular software solutions used for access control and authorization. While both provide similar functionalities, there are several key differences between them that make them suitable for different use cases.

1. Architecture Approach: Casbin follows a model-oriented design approach, where access control policies are defined using a policy language like Role-Based Access Control (RBAC) or Attribute-Based Access Control (ABAC). On the other hand, ORY Hydra implements OpenID Connect (OIDC) and OAuth 2.0 standards for identity and access management.

2. Scope: Casbin primarily focuses on providing a flexible and extensible access control mechanism that can be integrated into different applications and frameworks. It offers fine-grained access control and supports various policy enforcement models. In contrast, ORY Hydra is a full-fledged cloud-native system that provides authentication, authorization, and token management functionalities. It is designed for building secure and scalable identity management systems.

3. Deployment: Casbin can be easily embedded into existing applications by importing its libraries and configuring the access control policies. It supports multiple programming languages including Go, Python, Java, and Node.js. On the other hand, ORY Hydra is typically deployed as a standalone service and interacts with client applications using HTTP APIs, making it ideal for building distributed systems.

4. Scalability: Casbin is suitable for small to medium-sized applications where access control needs are relatively simple. It can handle thousands to tens of thousands of policies efficiently. ORY Hydra, being a cloud-native system, is designed to handle high-scale and high-traffic scenarios. It can provide authentication and authorization services for millions of users and applications.

5. Community and Ecosystem: Casbin has a vibrant open-source community and a wide range of integrations with popular frameworks and applications. It is actively maintained and has a strong support base. ORY Hydra, backed by ORY, a leading provider of cloud-native security solutions, also has an active community and provides enterprise-level support. It integrates well with other ORY products like ORY Oathkeeper and ORY Keto.

6. Use Cases: Casbin is often used in scenarios where fine-grained access control policies need to be enforced, such as multi-tenant applications, API gateways, and microservices architectures. It is highly customizable and can adapt to complex permission management requirements. ORY Hydra, on the other hand, is commonly used for building secure identity and access management systems, including Single Sign-On (SSO), federated identity, and user consent management.

In summary, Casbin provides a flexible and extensible access control mechanism that can be integrated into various applications, while ORY Hydra is a comprehensive identity management system with authentication, authorization, and token management capabilities, suited for building secure and scalable distributed systems.