Authentik: The Reference Architecture for Sovereign Identity & Access Management (IAM)

TL;DR

Authentik redefines identity management: moving away from proprietary cloud silos towards a unified identity layer. As an open-source solution, it integrates authentication, enrollment, and authorization in a highly flexible engine. Unlike cloud providers that lock user data in closed “user pools,” Authentik ensures full data sovereignty and portability of digital identities across all infrastructure boundaries.

1. The Architecture Principle: Unified Identity Layer

In traditional cloud setups, identity management is often fragmented. Applications use different logins or are tightly coupled to the cloud provider’s identity provider (IdP). This leads to “identity sprawl” and security gaps.

Authentik acts as a central Unified Identity Provider. It abstracts authentication from the application.

• Provider-Agnostic: Authentik supports all relevant protocols (OIDC, SAML, LDAP, Proxy-Auth). Whether it’s a modern single-page app, legacy software, or SSH access—Authentik centralizes access.
• Pipeline Architecture: Instead of static login screens, Authentik uses a “flow” concept. Each step (login, MFA, consent, password reset) is a defined stage in a pipeline that can be finely tuned.

2. Core Feature: Policy-based Flows and Flexibility

While proprietary solutions often offer only rigid “on/off” switches for configurations, Authentik provides full programmability.

• Flows as Code: Authentication processes can be defined via drag-and-drop or code. Want users from the internal network to skip MFA, but require it for external users? This can be mapped through policies.
• Python-based Policies: For complex requirements, administrators can deploy small Python snippets that are dynamically evaluated at runtime.

This enables scenarios that are impossible with standard cloud services without relinquishing control over the authentication process to external “black-box” logic.

3. Bridging the Gap: Legacy and Cloud-Native

A strategic advantage of Authentik is the integrated outpost mechanism. Authentik can protect not only modern apps via OIDC but also legacy applications that lack authentication.

Through a “Proxy Provider,” Authentik positions itself in front of the application. The user authenticates with the IdP, and Authentik forwards the identity via header to the legacy app. This allows “zero trust” architectures even for software written 10 years ago, without needing to touch the code.

4. Operating Models Compared: AWS Cognito vs. ayedo Managed Authentik

Here, the decision is about who truly owns the digital identities—the most valuable asset of a company.

Scenario A: AWS Cognito (The Data Hostage)

Using Cognito means choosing the most convenient path to vendor lock-in. User data is stored in an AWS-proprietary “user pool.”

• The Password Hash Trap: Cognito does not allow exporting password hashes. If you want to switch providers, you cannot simply migrate user data. All users must reset their passwords. This is a massive UX risk and often prevents migration.
• Proprietary Triggers: Adjustments to the login process require AWS Lambda functions with specific payloads. This business logic is not portable.
• The Result: Your user base effectively belongs to Amazon. Strategic independence is not achieved.

Scenario B: Authentik with Managed Kubernetes by ayedo

In the ayedo app catalog, Authentik is provided as a sovereign instance.

• Full Data Sovereignty: User data resides in a standard PostgreSQL database in your cluster (or a managed database service of your choice). An export is possible at any time via pg_dump—including password hashes.
• Portable Logic: The configuration of flows and policies is part of the deployment (blueprints).
• True Sovereignty: You own the identities. Whether the cluster runs on AWS, Hetzner, or on-prem, it makes no difference for the IAM.

Technical Comparison of Operating Models

FAQ: Authentik & IAM Strategy

Authentik vs. Keycloak: Which should I use?

Both are excellent open-source tools. Keycloak is the established “enterprise tanker”—extremely powerful, but complex to manage and resource-intensive (Java-based). Authentik (Python/Go) is more modern, lightweight, and often offers a more intuitive developer experience (“flows”). For modern Kubernetes setups and teams seeking flexibility, Authentik is often the more agile choice.

Can I use Authentik for internal and external users (customers)?

Yes. Authentik supports multi-tenancy concepts. You can define different “brands” and flows. Internal employees log in via LDAP/Active Directory sync, while external customers register via social login (Google, GitHub) or email. Everything is managed in a central instance.

How do I migrate from Auth0 or Cognito to Authentik?

Authentik offers import features. However, since Cognito does not release passwords, the strategy is usually a “lazy migration”: Authentik is set as the new IdP. On a user’s first login, Authentik transparently checks the credentials against the old provider (Cognito), migrates the user into its own database upon success, and stores the password anew. Users notice nothing of the migration.

Does Authentik support Machine-to-Machine (M2M) communication?

Yes. In addition to human users, Authentik supports service accounts and API tokens. You can issue and validate certificates and tokens for CI/CD pipelines or microservice communication, making it a central security instance.

Conclusion

Identity is the new perimeter. Binding your user management to a hyperscaler like AWS Cognito puts you in a dangerous dependency where switching providers becomes nearly impossible. Authentik offers the technological freedom to control this critical layer yourself. With the ayedo managed stack, companies gain the power of an enterprise IAM solution without having to worry about hosting databases and Redis caches. The result is maximum security with full strategic independence.