SuperTokens is an open-source, self-hosted authentication solution designed to replace proprietary services like Auth0, Firebase Auth, and AWS Cognito. It provides end-to-end user authentication including login, sign-up, session management, and user roles — all without forcing developers to implement complex OAuth flows. Built with Java for performance and reliability, SuperTokens separates concerns into three components: a frontend SDK for UI rendering, a backend SDK for API integration, and the core HTTP service handling authentication logic and database operations. This architecture enables full control over user data, on-premises deployment, and zero vendor lock-in. It’s ideal for teams seeking secure, scalable authentication without recurring SaaS costs or data privacy concerns.
The platform is optimized for developer experience, offering pre-built SDKs for Node.js, Python, Go, React, and more, while keeping the core service lightweight. SuperTokens supports advanced features like multi-factor authentication, social login, passwordless authentication via email or phone, and organization-based multi-tenancy — all without requiring deep expertise in identity protocols. Its user management dashboard provides real-time visibility into users, sessions, and roles, making it suitable for startups to enterprises needing full data sovereignty.
What You Get
- Passwordless Login - Enables users to sign in via email or phone links without passwords, reducing friction and eliminating password-related security risks.
- Social Login - Supports OAuth providers like Google, GitHub, and Facebook with minimal configuration; no need to manage OAuth secrets manually.
- Email-Password Login - Secure, built-in email and password authentication with hashing, rate limiting, and account recovery flows.
- Session Management - Automatic token refresh, session revocation, and stateless session validation via backend SDKs — no cookies or localStorage required.
- Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) - Enforces 2FA via TOTP or SMS for sensitive operations, with customizable policies per user or role.
- Multi-Tenancy / Organization Support - Isolate users, roles, and configurations per organization; ideal for SaaS platforms with enterprise clients.
- User Roles - Define and assign granular roles (e.g., admin, editor) with role-based access control integrated into backend APIs.
- Microservice Authentication - Secure inter-service communication using JWT-based tokens validated by SuperTokens Core without exposing user data to services.
Common Use Cases
- Building a SaaS platform with multi-tenant isolation - A B2B product uses SuperTokens to isolate customer organizations, assign roles per tenant, and manage user access without sharing databases across clients.
- Creating a passwordless mobile app with React Native - A startup implements SuperTokens’ React Native SDK to enable email-based login flows, reducing drop-offs from password fatigue.
- Replacing Auth0 without vendor lock-in - A company migrates from Auth0 to SuperTokens to retain full control of user data, avoid monthly fees at scale, and self-host the authentication stack on Kubernetes.
- DevOps teams managing microservices with centralized auth - Teams use SuperTokens Core to issue and validate tokens across 50+ microservices, eliminating redundant auth logic in each service.
Under The Hood
SuperTokens Core is a robust, multitenant authentication platform built with Java, emphasizing extensibility and modular architecture for enterprise-grade user management. It enables seamless integration across diverse environments while maintaining clear separation between core logic and plugin implementations.
Architecture
This system adopts a layered architecture that cleanly separates business logic, data persistence, and external interfaces. It supports scalable tenant operations through a resource distribution model.
- The layered design ensures clear separation between core functionality, storage abstraction, and CLI tools
- Multitenancy is embedded into the architecture, enabling singleton components to be tied to specific tenant contexts
- The Singleton pattern is used for shared resources like process state and storage layers, with centralized lifecycle management
- A ResourceDistributor orchestrates component interactions, supporting modular extension and integration with enterprise features
Tech Stack
The project is rooted in Java, leveraging the language’s ecosystem for backend infrastructure and extensibility.
- Built primarily with Java and Jakarta EE, utilizing core libraries for system-level operations
- Heavily depends on Javax and internal modules to support modular design and feature extensions
- Gradle-based build system with dedicated scripts for cross-environment module management
- Comprehensive testing infrastructure includes custom utilities and modular test structures for reliability
Code Quality
The codebase reflects mature engineering practices with strong emphasis on testing and consistency.
- Extensive test coverage ensures reliability across core functionalities, including unit and integration tests
- Error handling is consistently applied with clear exception management patterns for graceful degradation
- Naming conventions and architectural patterns are well-maintained, enhancing long-term maintainability
- Technical debt is present in duplicated logic and tightly coupled components that could benefit from refactoring
What Makes It Unique
SuperTokens Core stands out through its innovative approach to multitenant authentication and plugin-based extensibility.
- Its architecture uniquely enables seamless integration of core features with external plugins or enterprise editions
- The system’s tenant-aware resource distribution model provides scalable and isolated operations across environments
- It supports a clean separation between core logic and plugin implementations, fostering extensibility without compromising stability
- The modular design allows for easy adaptation to diverse enterprise needs while preserving a consistent authentication framework