# Authelia
> Authelia is an open-source authentication and authorization server providing single sign-on (SSO) and two-factor authentication (2FA) for applications protected by reverse proxies. It acts as a companion to proxies like NGINX, Traefik, or HAProxy to verify user credentials before granting access to web resources.
- URL: https://optimly.ai/brand/authelia
- Slug: authelia
- BAI Score: 62/100
- Archetype: Challenger
- Category: Software
- Last Analyzed: April 10, 2026
## Competitors
- Authentik (https://optimly.ai/brand/authentik)
- Keycloak (https://optimly.ai/brand/keycloak)
## AI-Suggested Alternatives
- Application Native Auth (https://optimly.ai/brand/application-native-auth)
## Buyer Intent Signals
Problems: Basic HTTP Auth / .htpasswd: Using built-in basic authentication or simple .htpasswd files for each application separately without a centralized portal. | Manual Reverse Proxy Configuration: Configuring NGINX or Traefik with custom snippets and manually managed session cookies or LDAP integrations. | Application-Native Auth: Relying on the native, often rudimentary, authentication systems built into each individual self-hosted application (e.g., Plex, Nextcloud, Home Assistant) without a unified S
Solutions: best self-hosted SSO for home lab | how to add 2FA to NGINX proxy manager apps | open source authentication server for Traefik | open source OIDC provider for kubernetes | OAuth2 Proxy: Using OAuth2 Proxy to provide a thin layer of authentication for providers like Google or GitHub without a local portal.
Comparisons: Authelia vs Authentik for home server