← Back to home
Comparison · Infra & APIs

Authelia vs NetBird

A side-by-side editorial comparison of Authelia and NetBird — release velocity, themes, recent moves, and the top alternatives to consider.

Shared themes:self-hosted

Authelia vs NetBird: at a glance

FeatureAutheliaNetBird
SectorInfra & APIsInfra & APIs
Velocity score5.05.0
Sparks · 30d00
Top themesauth, oidc, self-hosted, securityzero-trust, self-hosted, postgresql, ssh-hardening
Last editorial update1mo ago15h ago
WebsiteVisit →Visit →

What is Authelia?

Authelia's 4.39.x series is a continuous patch stream: five releases in nine days, no new features

Authelia is in a sustained maintenance phase on the 4.39.x branch. The project has shipped at least five releases since September 8 — all bug-fix patches targeting OIDC conformance, web UI edge cases, SMTP IPv6, Envoy authz path handling, and storage correctness. The release cadence is high but the content is narrow: there is no visible feature investment in the recent window.

Read the full Authelia trajectory →

What is NetBird?

NetBird's second v0.82 candidate keeps the MySQL removal and deprecates Rosenpass.

NetBird is preparing v0.82 as a breaking release for self-hosters. Both candidates remove MySQL, require a migration to PostgreSQL, and move reverse-proxy access logs to their own store. rc.2 adds a Rosenpass deprecation notice with a replacement said to be in final testing, and tightens the SSH server: the root-login setting now applies to uid 0, and path-bearing locale, TERM and TZ values from clients are refused.

Read the full NetBird trajectory →

Authelia vs NetBird: editorial side-by-side

A
Authelia
INFRA · APIS
5.0

Authelia's 4.39.x series is a continuous patch stream: five releases in nine days, no new features

◆ Current state

Authelia is in a sustained maintenance phase on the 4.39.x branch. The project has shipped at least five releases since September 8 — all bug-fix patches targeting OIDC conformance, web UI edge cases, SMTP IPv6, Envoy authz path handling, and storage correctness. The release cadence is high but the content is narrow: there is no visible feature investment in the recent window.

◆ Where it's heading

The pattern across these releases is OIDC stabilization — multiple entries address consent handling, resource indicators, and JWT grant correctness. Authelia appears to be closing out conformance gaps accumulated during earlier 4.39.x development rather than adding surface area. The active committer footprint is small (primarily @james-d-elliott), which keeps the pace sustainable but limits breadth.

◆ Prediction

Given the absence of feature releases since well before May 2026, a 4.40.x or 5.0 branch with new capabilities is likely being developed in parallel. The current stream is support-mode maintenance.

N
NetBird
INFRA · APIS
5.0

NetBird's second v0.82 candidate keeps the MySQL removal and deprecates Rosenpass.

◆ Current state

NetBird is preparing v0.82 as a breaking release for self-hosters. Both candidates remove MySQL, require a migration to PostgreSQL, and move reverse-proxy access logs to their own store. rc.2 adds a Rosenpass deprecation notice with a replacement said to be in final testing, and tightens the SSH server: the root-login setting now applies to uid 0, and path-bearing locale, TERM and TZ values from clients are refused.

◆ Where it's heading

After v0.81 focused on device trust through certificate posture checks, v0.82 is about the management plane's storage and on hardening the built-in SSH server. Deprecating Rosenpass signals a change in how NetBird approaches post-quantum key exchange, though the entries do not name the replacement.

◆ Prediction

Expect v0.82.0 final with the MySQL removal intact, and a later release introducing the Rosenpass replacement.

Alternatives to Authelia and NetBird

Other Infra & APIs products tracked by Sparkpulse, ranked by recent ship velocity. Each card links to a full editorial trajectory and lets you pivot into a head-to-head comparison with either Authelia or NetBird.

See all Authelia alternatives → · See all NetBird alternatives →

Recent activity from Authelia and NetBird

Latest ship moves from both products, interleaved chronologically. ⚡ = editorial spark.

  1. 20h agoNetBirdv0.82.0-rc.2: Rosenpass deprecated, SSH root-login and env hardening
  2. 2d agoNetBirdv0.82.0-rc.1: MySQL removed, access logs get their own database
  3. 7d agoNetBirdNetBird canary rebuild: group-restricted daemon socket
  4. 14d agoNetBirdv0.81.0-rc.3: management and Traefik backports
  5. 14d agoNetBirdv0.81 canary: route hysteresis stops HA peer flapping
  6. 16d agoNetBirdNetBird v0.81 RC2 adds batch group audit events
  7. 1mo agoAutheliaAuthelia v4.39.28 patch release
  8. 1mo agoAutheliav4.39.27
  9. 1mo agoAutheliav4.39.26
  10. 1mo agoAutheliav4.39.25
  11. 1mo agoAutheliav4.39.24
  12. 1mo agoAutheliav4.39.23

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between Authelia and NetBird?

Both compete on the same themes — self-hosted — within Infra & APIs. Authelia and NetBird are shipping at a similar cadence (velocity 5.0 vs 5.0, both within Sparkpulse's "active" band). See the at-a-glance table above for a side-by-side breakdown of velocity, recent sparks, and editorial themes.

Is Authelia better than NetBird?

Sparkpulse doesn't pick a winner — we score release velocity, not feature parity. Authelia and NetBird are shipping at a similar cadence (velocity 5.0 vs 5.0, both within Sparkpulse's "active" band). For your specific use case, the alternatives sections above list other Infra & APIs products to evaluate alongside.

What are the best alternatives to Authelia?

Top Authelia alternatives in Infra & APIs are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "Authelia alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/authelia for the full list with editorial commentary on each.

What are the best alternatives to NetBird?

Top NetBird alternatives in Infra & APIs are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "NetBird alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/netbird for the full list with editorial commentary on each.