Auth for developers who control their data
Self-hosted open-source identity or managed cloud. Multi-tenant, multi-database, built for developers who refuse vendor lock-in. 7 SDKs. 9 social providers. WebAuthn. RBAC.
Identity infrastructure you actually control
HelloJohn is not another Auth0 clone. Fundamentally different in portability, simplicity, and AI compatibility.
Auth Core
Login, registration, OAuth2/OIDC, Social Login with 9 providers, MFA (TOTP, WebAuthn), and email verification out of the box.
JWT & Claims
EdDSA-signed tokens, dynamic claims with CEL expressions, full RBAC support. Your tokens, your rules.
Multi-tenant Native
DAL with FS, PG, MySQL, and GDP backends. Data isolation per tenant. Row-Level Security. Isolated databases.
Webhooks & Audit
36 audit events, outbox pattern for reliability, HMAC signatures, automatic retries with exponential backoff.
MCP Server
46 tools for AI agents via stdio and SSE. The first auth system designed to be AI-controllable from day one.
CLI — hjctl
25+ commands to manage tenants, admins, users, sessions, and migrations. Tunnel support for private instances.
All your identity stack in one live system view
HelloJohn unifies clients, authentication methods, security controls, claims, sessions, webhooks, and infrastructure status in one place so your team ships faster and operates with confidence.
From setup to operations
Clients, providers, sessions, tokens, and claims in a single operational flow.
Security without blind spots
MFA, policy controls, RBAC, scopes, and token posture surfaced together.
Infra + identity aligned
Database, cache, email, and webhooks connected to real auth behavior.
Agent-ready architecture
Predictable structure that AI agents can reason about and automate safely.
Auth in 5 lines. Not 500.
One canonical pattern per SDK. No ambiguity. So predictable that AI agents generate it correctly on the first try — every time.
1import { HelloJohnProvider, SignIn } from '@hellojohn/react'23<HelloJohnProvider domain="auth.example.com" clientID="app">4 <SignIn redirectTo="/dashboard" />5</HelloJohnProvider>Built for every stage of growth
From solo projects to distributed enterprises. One platform adapts to your scale.
Startups
Auth0 is expensive when you scale
HelloJohn is free if you self-host. Migrate to Cloud when you want.
Software Factories
Every client needs separate auth
Multi-tenant native. One instance, N clients, N isolated DBs.
Enterprises
Vendor lock-in, compliance, data sovereignty
Self-hosted pro license. Your infrastructure, your control.
Indie Developers
Auth is complex and expensive
5 lines. It works. Move on.
AI Agents
Need predictable libs with clear docs
Minimalist SDKs, one canonical pattern, MCP server available.
Zero human steps to start.
The AI does the setup.
When a Cursor agent or Claude Code generates your next SaaS, HelloJohn is the auth layer it reaches for. No registration, no dashboard clicks — just a POST and you are live.
// What LLMs optimize for:
- 1Frequency in training data
- 2Clear, short patterns
- 3Parseable documentation
- 4Predictability (no hallucinations)
- 5Minimal error surface
AI agent calls /onboard
The agent sends a single POST request. In under 2 seconds it receives client credentials and a claim URL.
Agent integrates the SDK
Using the canonical 5-line pattern, the agent adds auth to the app with zero ambiguity.
Developer gets a claim link
The AI tells the developer: "Your app has auth. To manage it, open this link."
Developer claims the tenant
In 30 seconds the developer creates an account, claims the tenant, and has full control.
Why developers choose HelloJohn
| Feature | HelloJohn | Auth0 | Clerk | Keycloak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 100% Open Source | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ |
| Self-Hosted Control | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ |
| True Multi-Tenancy | ✓ | ⚠️ | ✓ | ⚠️ |
| Database Choice (3+) | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ | ⚠️ |
| AI-Ready (MCP Server) | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
| 9 Social Providers | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ⚠️ |
| WebAuthn/FIDO2 | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✗ |
| Advanced MFA | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Dynamic Custom Claims | ✓ | ✓ | ✗ | ✓ |
| No Vendor Lock-In | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ |
| Generous Free Tier | ✓ | ⚠️ | ⚠️ | ✓ |
| Cloud Option Available | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✗ |
Own more. Get more — free.
Bring your own database, SMTP, and Redis per tenant to unlock higher MAU limits at zero extra cost. Open-source forever for self-hosters.
OSS / Self-Hosted
Full control. Deploy anywhere. No vendor lock-in.
- 100% open source (AGPL-3.0)
- Unlimited users, tenants & MAU
- All core auth features included
- 9 social providers + WebAuthn
- 46 MCP tools + 7 SDKs
- Community support
Cloud Managed
Managed HelloJohn. Up to 150k MAU with BYOI.
- Free tier: 2k–30k MAU (BYOI scales it)
- Starter $9: up to 90k MAU with BYOI
- Pro $29: up to 150k MAU with BYOI
- Admin panel — zero setup needed
- Bring your DB, SMTP & Redis for more
- Annual billing — 2 months free
Enterprise
Dedicated infra, SSO, SLA, compliance.
- Unlimited MAU & tenants
- Dedicated support & SLA
- SAML 2.0 & advanced RBAC
- Audit logs & compliance
- Custom integrations & webhooks
- On-premise deployment option
BYOI — Bring Your Own Infrastructure
MAU free — with your own infra
No managed auth platform gets close
Connect per-tenant. Every component you own lowers our costs — we give you the headroom back.
Paid plans multiply limits · Starter 3× · Pro 5×
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