Self-host Keycloak
- License
- Apache-2.0
- GitHub stars
- 37,746, as of 8 Nov 2026
- Latest release
- 26.8.2, as of 8 Nov 2026
- Host needs
- Not stated in official docs
- Install method
- Docker
- One-click template
- Available
- License: Apache-2.0.
- Last commit: 7 Nov 2026 05:05 SGT, as of 8 Nov 2026. The repository is not archived.
Requirements
Minimum requirements: not stated.
The getting started guide says: "Make sure your machine or container platform can provide sufficient memory and CPU for your desired usage of Keycloak."
It also says: "Make sure you have Docker installed."
The sizing guide is for a production cluster:
- "The base memory usage for a Pod including caches of Realm data and 10,000 cached sessions is 1250 MB of RAM."
- "For each 15 password-based user logins per second, allocate 1 vCPU to the cluster"
Disk: not stated.
Docker or Docker Compose
The official guide is Getting started with Docker.
Hosting options
A Railway template for Keycloak is at railway.com/deploy/keycloak, created by Heimdall.
It shows "Total Projects 68".
The 1250 MB sizing figure is above the Railway Free limit of "0.5 GB RAM per service".
That figure is for a production cluster. It is not a stated minimum.
Affiliate disclosure: Forkshelf earns a commission if you sign up for Railway through the links marked "Paid link" on this page. This does not change the order or content of any guide here.
To get started, create a Railway account (Paid link).
Backups and updates
Backups: a separate backup doc is not documented on the pages we read.
Updates: the official guide is Upgrading Guide.
Alternatives
Keycloak is listed on open-source alternatives to Auth0.
Compare it in Auth0 vs Keycloak.