Octelium is a free and open source, self-hosted zero trust access platform. It provides identity-based, layer-7 aware access control on a per-request basis, dynamic secretless access, and a unified architecture for both client-based and clientless access, on infrastructure you already operate rather than on an appliance.
kind: Service
metadata:
name: erp
spec:
mode: HTTP
isPublic: true
config:
upstream:
url: http://10.0.6.40:8080kind: Policy
metadata:
name: finance
spec:
rules:
- effect: ALLOW
condition:
all:
of:
- match: ctx.user.spec.type == "HUMAN"
- match: '"finance" in ctx.user.spec.groups'
- match: ctx.device.status.osType == "WINDOWS"kind: Service
metadata:
name: win-desk
spec:
mode: RDP_WEB
isPublic: true
config:
upstream:
url: rdp://10.0.9.11
rdp:
auth:
user: Administrator
domain: WORKGROUP
password:
fromSecret: rdp-passwordSecure humans, workloads and AI agents with one model for identity, authorization, connectivity, credentials and visibility.
One architecture for client-based zero-config VPN-like access over WireGuard and QUIC tunnels and clientless access over browsers for humans and OAuth2 access for workloads.
Read moreIdentity-based, application-layer aware ABAC access control with policy-as-code via CEL and OPA, applied on a per-request basis.
Read moreDynamic secretless access where teams and AI agents access protected infrastructure without ever holding a credential.
Read moreTeams, workloads and AI agents share the same model for identity management, access control, and auditing.
Read moreOpenTelemetry-native, real-time, application-layer-aware visibility and structured logging.
Read moreOctelium is administered like Kubernetes. Define your resources in YAML files, store them in a Git repository.
Read moreEach resource is protected by an identity-aware proxy that provides application-layer-aware access control, secretless access, and visibility. Users reach Services through two equivalent modes, and the same Policies apply to both.
kind: Service
metadata:
name: erp
spec:
mode: HTTP
config:
upstream:
url: http://10.0.6.40:8080kind: Service
metadata:
name: erp
spec:
mode: HTTP
isPublic: true
config:
upstream:
url: http://10.0.6.40:8080kind: Service
metadata:
name: branch-nas
spec:
mode: TCP
port: 445
config:
upstream:
url: tcp://192.168.10.20:445
user: branch-gwAccess is authorized on a per-request basis, using CEL or Open Policy Agent, against the identity behind the request and the content of the request itself rather than the network path it arrived on.
kind: Policy
metadata:
name: managed-only
spec:
rules:
- effect: ALLOW
condition:
all:
of:
- match: ctx.user.spec.type == "HUMAN"
- match: ctx.session.status.type == "CLIENT"
- match: ctx.device.status.osType in ["WINDOWS", "MAC"]
- match: '"employees" in ctx.user.spec.groups'kind: Policy
metadata:
name: erp-read-only
spec:
rules:
- effect: ALLOW
condition:
all:
of:
- match: ctx.request.http.method == "GET"
- match: ctx.request.http.path.startsWith("/reports")
- match: '"finance" in ctx.user.spec.groups'kind: Policy
metadata:
name: contractors
spec:
rules:
- effect: DENY
condition:
match: '"contractors" in ctx.user.spec.groups'
- effect: ALLOW
condition:
match: '"employees" in ctx.user.spec.groups'Application-layer credentials are stored in the Cluster as Secrets and injected into the upstream connection once a request is authorized. This removes credential sprawl for teams and, increasingly, for workloads and AI agents.
kind: Service
metadata:
name: bastion
spec:
mode: SSH
port: 22
config:
upstream:
url: ssh://10.0.2.14
ssh:
user: deploy
auth:
privateKey:
fromSecret: bastion-keykind: Service
metadata:
name: pg-prod
spec:
mode: POSTGRES
port: 5432
config:
upstream:
url: postgres://10.0.4.21:5432
postgres:
user: analytics_ro
database: analytics
auth:
password:
fromSecret: pg-password
sslMode: REQUIREkind: Service
metadata:
name: broker
spec:
mode: TCP
port: 8883
config:
upstream:
url: tls://10.0.8.30:8883
tls:
clientCertificate:
fromSecret: broker-client-certHuman and workload Users share the same identity management, authentication, access control and visibility model. For agentic systems this matters more than it once did, because the number of non-human identities holding credentials grows faster than the number of people.
kind: IdentityProvider
metadata:
name: github-actions
spec:
oidcIdentityToken:
issuerURL: https://token.actions.githubusercontent.com
audience: https://example.comkind: User
metadata:
name: backup-agent
spec:
type: WORKLOAD
groups:
- infrastructurekind: Service
metadata:
name: openai
spec:
mode: LLM
isPublic: true
config:
upstream:
url: https://api.openai.com
llm:
protocol: OPENAI
auth:
bearer:
fromSecret: openai-api-keyOpenTelemetry-ready, application-layer aware, structured auditing and visibility emitted to your OpenTelemetry OTLP receivers, where they can be exported to your log management and SIEM tools.
A Cluster runs on Kubernetes and uses it to scale its own data plane, place Service proxies across Gateways, and run containerized applications that the Cluster itself deploys.
$ octeliumctl apply ./cluster
Secret: rdp-password Updated
Secret: bastion-key Updated
IdentityProvider: entra-id Updated
Policy: managed-only Created
Group: employees Created
Group: finance Updated
Service: erp Created
Service: win-desk Created
Service: pg-prod.db Created
Namespace: db Created
Cluster Core resources successfully applied
7 resources created
3 resources updated
ClusterConfig updatedBoth products are described from the same structured capability dataset used across this site, with the same evidentiary standard applied to each. Emerging and experimental features are marked as partial regardless of vendor.
A curated view of the dataset, including the rows where Octelium is stronger, the rows where it is not, and the rows where the two are equivalent. The complete capability matrix, with search and filters, is one click away.
Architecture
OpenID Connect
SAML 2.0
Native FIDO2 / Passkey
Native means implemented by the platform itself, not merely delegated to an external IdP.
Workload Identity
SCIM Provisioning
Automated user/group lifecycle provisioning via SCIM, beyond just login-time IdP federation.
Policy Model
Policy-as-Code
Per-Request Authz
For L7 products, this means each HTTP/gRPC/API/K8s request can be evaluated. For overlays, session/connection policy is not counted as per-request. This modeling choice structurally favors L7 gateways over network overlays.
L7-Aware Policies
Zero Standing Privilege / JIT
Indicates strong architectural support for minimizing standing privilege; not an absolute claim that privileged access cannot exist.
Access Requests / Approvals
First-class request-and-approve / break-glass workflows (reviewers, time-bound grants), as opposed to static policy alone.
Device Posture
HTTP / HTTPS
SSH
PostgreSQL
Kubernetes
RDP
DNS
WireGuard Data Plane
Whether the product's own client/data plane is built on WireGuard, versus a proprietary or TLS-based transport.
IPv6 Support
NAT Traversal
OpenTelemetry-Native
L7-Aware Access Logs
SSH Session Recording
SIEM Integration
Client-Based VPN / Overlay
Clientless Browser Access
Private DNS
GitOps / Declarative Config
AI / LLM Gateway
MCP Gateway / MCP Access
Deploy Containers / PaaS
Kubernetes-Native
High Availability
Fully Self-Hosted
Server Code Open Source
No Mandatory Proprietary Cloud
Data Sovereignty
Unified Access Platform
A unified secure access platform with secretless access, CEL/OPA-style ABAC, OpenTelemetry-native real-time visibility, and both client-based and clientless access.
Best for
Tradeoffs
Enterprise Security Fabric
Strong for Fortinet-centric enterprises and endpoint/firewall integration; weaker for open-source, developer-centric, policy-as-code, and cloud-native L7 gateway use cases.
Best for
Tradeoffs
The same platform capabilities ship with every deployment, whichever way you use it.
Octelium as a complete ZTNA and BeyondCorp platform for humans, workloads and AI agents on a single architecture.
Read moreA remote access platform for a whole team, with SSO, device posture, secretless access and application-layer auditing.
Read moreClientless, identity-aware access to internal applications for humans in a browser and for workloads over OAuth2.
Read moreFree and open source. Self-hosted. No vendor lock-in.