Keto is a permission server that implements Google's Zanzibar approach and supports ACL, RBAC, and other permission models.

Yes. Keto is open source under the Apache-2.0 licence. Its source code is on GitHub at ory/keto and is written mainly in Go.

Yes. Keto is open source, so the software itself is free to use. A managed cloud version is also available.

Can I self-host Keto?

Yes. Keto can be self-hosted on your own server or infrastructure.

What is Keto an alternative to?

Keto is an open-source alternative to Permit.io, Authress and Oso. Other open-source alternatives to Permit.io include SpiceDB, OpenFGA and OPA.

Is Keto actively maintained?

Yes. The most recent commit to Keto was on 4 September 2026, and the latest release is v26.2.0, published on 20 March 2026. The project has 5.4k stars on GitHub.

Keto: open-source alternative to Permit.io, Authress, Oso

About Keto

Keto is a permission server written in Go that implements Google's Zanzibar approach for access control. It supports ACL, RBAC, and other permission models. The software is cloud native, headless, and API-first.

Key features

Supports ACL, RBAC, and more permission models
Based on Google's Zanzibar approach
Written in Go
Cloud native, headless, API-first

Built with: Go tools
Tags: permissions; authorization; acl; rbac; zanzibar; go

Keto: questions and answers

What is Keto?: Keto is a permission server that implements Google's Zanzibar approach and supports ACL, RBAC, and other permission models.
Is Keto open source?: Yes. Keto is open source under the Apache-2.0 licence. Its source code is on GitHub at ory/keto and is written mainly in Go.
Is Keto free?: Yes. Keto is open source, so the software itself is free to use. A managed cloud version is also available.
Can I self-host Keto?: Yes. Keto can be self-hosted on your own server or infrastructure.
What is Keto an alternative to?: Keto is an open-source alternative to Permit.io, Authress and Oso. Other open-source alternatives to Permit.io include SpiceDB, OpenFGA and OPA.
Is Keto actively maintained?: Yes. The most recent commit to Keto was on 4 September 2026, and the latest release is v26.2.0, published on 20 March 2026. The project has 5.4k stars on GitHub.