Casbin vs. Alternatives
Open-source authorization tools take noticeably different approaches. This page places Casbin among the most common alternatives so you can tell quickly which family of tool fits your problem. Each linked page goes deeper and says when the other tool is the better choice.
| Compared with | In one sentence |
|---|---|
| OpenFGA | A Zanzibar-style relationship service you deploy; Casbin is a library inside your application. |
| Open Policy Agent | A general-purpose policy engine with the Rego language; Casbin focuses on application access control with policies stored as data. |
| CASL | A JavaScript library where abilities are defined in code; Casbin keeps rules outside the code and runs in many languages. |
| Cedar | A policy language with schema validation and analysis; Casbin offers a configurable model and a large adapter ecosystem. |
At a glance
The table describes each project as of 2026. Check each project's own documentation before making a decision.
| Casbin | OpenFGA | OPA | CASL | Cedar | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Form | Library embedded in your application | Server with HTTP and gRPC APIs | Daemon or sidecar, also a Go library and WebAssembly | Library | Library (Rust core, with bindings) |
| How rules are written | A model file (.conf) plus policy rules as rows | An authorization model in a DSL plus relationship tuples | Rego programs plus JSON data | JavaScript or TypeScript code | Cedar policy language plus a schema |
| Main access control style | ACL, RBAC, ABAC, ReBAC, and others, chosen in the model | ReBAC | Anything expressible in Rego | Attribute and ownership checks on subjects | RBAC and ABAC |
| Native implementations | Go, Java, Node.js, Python, .NET, PHP, Rust, C++, and more | SDKs call the server | Go; other languages call the server or use WebAssembly | JavaScript and TypeScript | Rust, with Java, Go, and WebAssembly options |
| Where rules are stored | Your database, through adapters | The OpenFGA server's database | Bundles loaded into memory | In application code | Wherever you store policy text |
| Changing rules at runtime | Management API, effective immediately | Write API | Publish a new bundle or push data | Redeploy, or build abilities from your own data | Replace policies |
| Governance | Apache Software Foundation (Incubating) | Cloud Native Computing Foundation | Cloud Native Computing Foundation | Community, MIT license | Open source from AWS |
What is specific to Casbin
- It runs inside your process. An
Enforce()call is a function call, not a network request. There is nothing extra to deploy, and typical checks take microseconds; see Benchmarks. - The model is configuration. The same engine does ACL, RBAC, RBAC with domains, ABAC, ReBAC, and more. Moving from one to another means editing the model file, not rewriting code. See Supported models.
- Policies are rows you can manage. Rules live in your existing database through an adapter, and an administrator can add or remove them at runtime through the Management API or an admin portal.
- The same model works in every language. A model and policy written for a Go service can be enforced unchanged in Java, Node.js, Python, .NET, PHP, Rust, or C++.
When another tool fits better
- You need Google-Zanzibar-style relationship checks across billions of objects, served centrally to many applications: look at OpenFGA.
- You need one policy language for Kubernetes admission, infrastructure configuration, and services: look at OPA.
- Your application is JavaScript end to end and you mainly want type-safe permission checks in UI components: look at CASL.
- You need static validation and formal analysis of policies: look at Cedar.
Try Casbin
- Test a model and policy in the browser with the online editor.
- Follow a tutorial for Go, Node.js, Python, or Java.