FortiAuthenticator vs Keycloak: What are the differences?

Key Differences between FortiAuthenticator and Keycloak

FortiAuthenticator and Keycloak are both authentication systems used to secure access to applications and resources. While they have similarities, there are several key differences between the two:

1. User Management: FortiAuthenticator provides a centralized user management system that allows administrators to create and manage user accounts. Keycloak, on the other hand, delegates user management to external identity providers, allowing for more flexibility in user authentication and authorization.

2. Scalability: FortiAuthenticator is designed for small and medium-sized enterprises, with a maximum limit on the number of users it can handle. Keycloak, on the other hand, is highly scalable and can support a large number of users, making it more suitable for enterprise-level deployments.

3. Support for Identity Federation: Keycloak provides built-in support for identity federation, allowing users to authenticate using external identity providers such as social media accounts or enterprise identity systems. FortiAuthenticator, on the other hand, does not have native support for identity federation and requires additional configurations to enable this functionality.

4. Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA): FortiAuthenticator has built-in support for multi-factor authentication, allowing administrators to enforce additional layers of security, such as one-time passwords or biometric authentication. Keycloak also supports MFA but requires additional configuration and integration with external MFA providers.

5. Integration with other Fortinet products: FortiAuthenticator seamlessly integrates with other Fortinet security products, such as FortiGate firewall and FortiAnalyzer, providing a unified authentication and security infrastructure. Keycloak, being an open-source solution, can integrate with various platforms and systems but may require additional customization and development efforts.

6. Commercial Support: FortiAuthenticator is a commercial product and comes with vendor support and maintenance agreements. Keycloak, being an open-source project, relies on community support and may require additional resources and expertise to ensure proper operation and support.

In Summary, FortiAuthenticator provides centralized user management, limited scalability, and seamless integration with other Fortinet products, while Keycloak offers more flexibility in user management, scalability, and built-in support for identity federation and MFA.