Cerbos is an open-source authorization layer designed to simplify access control by externalizing authorization logic from applications, enabling developers to focus on core product features—offering an alternative to Auth0, AWS Cognito, WorkOS, and Okta.
Key features include:
- Policy-Based Authorization: Define access control using policies instead of embedding logic in code.
- Fine-Grained Access Control: Implement RBAC and ABAC with context-aware role definitions.
- Centralized Management: Manage and audit access control from a central policy administration point.
- Decentralized Decisioning: Deploy policy decision points (PDPs) locally for low-latency authorization decisions.
- GitOps Support: Implement CI/CD workflows for policy management.
- Audit Trails: Capture all authorization decisions for compliance.
- Pre-built Integrations: SDKs and starter projects for common frameworks and identity providers.
Use cases include securing non-human identities, implementing permission-aware data filtering, and building zero-trust application architectures. Cerbos targets developers, product managers, security teams, and architects.
