Keycloak vs Devise: Which Authentication Solution to Choose in 2025?

When building authentication for your application, choosing the right solution is crucial for security, scalability, and maintainability. Two popular options are Keycloak and Devise. In this blog, we’ll compare them in-depth, covering use cases, features, and which one fits best for your project.

What Are Keycloak and Devise?

• Keycloak: An open-source identity and access management solution developed by Red Hat. It supports OAuth 2.0, OpenID Connect, SAML, and Single Sign-On (SSO) across multiple applications.
• Devise: A flexible authentication solution built for Ruby on Rails. It provides user authentication out-of-the-box but is primarily focused on Rails applications.

Comparison Table: Keycloak vs Devise

Key Differences Explained

1. Support for Multiple Applications Across Different Platforms

If you need authentication for multiple applications (e.g., React web app, Flutter mobile app, and Node.js API), Keycloak is the better choice. It allows centralized authentication using OAuth 2.0 and OpenID Connect, meaning users can log in once and access all apps.

Example:

• A company has a web app (React.js), a mobile app (Flutter), and a Node.js API.
• Using Keycloak, users log in once, and all these apps share authentication.
• If the company used Devise, they would need to manually build an authentication API, issue JWTs, and handle token refresh logic.

2. Security & Compliance

Keycloak has built-in MFA, SSO, and role-based access control (RBAC). This is important for companies requiring GDPR, HIPAA, or SOC 2 compliance. Devise lacks these features out-of-the-box, requiring extra gems and custom logic.

3. OAuth 2.0 & OpenID Connect vs. Plain JWT Authentication

Many developers think JWT alone is enough for authentication, but authentication protocols like OAuth 2.0 and OpenID Connect provide:

• A secure way to obtain tokens (avoiding token theft and replay attacks).
• Token revocation and refresh mechanisms.
• Federated login support (Google, Microsoft, LDAP, etc.).
• Better security against session hijacking and CSRF attacks.

Using raw JWT without a proper authentication protocol can expose security risks.

When to Use Keycloak?

✅ If you need SSO, OAuth 2.0, OpenID Connect, or multi-app authentication.
✅ If your application is scalable and used by many clients (web, mobile, APIs).
✅ If you require MFA, federated identity, or LDAP support.
✅ If security and compliance (SOC 2, GDPR, HIPAA) are a priority.

When to Use Devise?

✅ If you are building a single Ruby on Rails application and don’t need multi-platform authentication.
✅ If you want a simple authentication solution with minimal setup.
✅ If you are comfortable managing authentication logic and security manually.

Final Verdict

• If you are building a large-scale, multi-platform, or enterprise application, Keycloak is the better choice.
• If you need a quick and easy authentication solution for a single Rails app, Devise works well.

Choosing the right authentication solution depends on your app’s requirements. If your project is growing, consider Keycloak for better scalability and security.