Top 5 authentication solutions for secure Django apps in 2026

Authentication is a critical component of any Django application, and developers benefit from both Django's robust built-in authentication system and a rich ecosystem of third-party packages. Whether you're building a B2B SaaS platform that needs to sell to enterprises, a REST API, or a traditional Django web application, choosing the right authentication approach can significantly impact your development velocity and feature capabilities.

Django's "batteries-included" philosophy means you get excellent authentication primitives out of the box, but enterprise features like SAML SSO and SCIM provisioning require specialized solutions. The framework's flexibility allows seamless integration with both Django-native packages and external authentication providers, giving developers options across the full spectrum from simple session-based auth to sophisticated enterprise identity management.

In this guide, we'll explore the top 5 authentication solutions for Django apps in 2026, from enterprise platforms to Django's most popular authentication packages.

What to look for in an auth provider for Django apps

Before diving into specific solutions, let's identify the key features that make an authentication provider ideal for Django:

• Django integration: The best auth solutions integrate naturally with Django's conventions, including the User model, middleware, authentication backends, and the admin interface. Look for providers with Django-specific packages or clear integration patterns.
• Authentication backend support: Django's pluggable authentication backend system is powerful. Your auth solution should either provide a custom authentication backend or work seamlessly with Django's existing backends.
• Middleware compatibility: Authentication checks typically happen in middleware. Your provider should offer Django middleware that integrates cleanly with the request/response cycle.
• Enterprise features: For B2B applications, you'll need SSO support (SAML, OIDC), directory sync (SCIM), multi-tenancy, and organization management. These features should be first-class, not afterthoughts.
• ORM integration: If your auth solution stores users in a database, it should work naturally with Django's ORM and follow Django's model conventions.
• REST API support: Many Django apps use Django REST Framework. Look for solutions that handle both session-based web authentication and token-based API authentication.
• Admin interface: Integration with Django's admin interface for user management is a significant convenience factor.
• Security best practices: Your provider should handle CSRF protection, password hashing with PBKDF2/Argon2, secure session management, and token rotation out of the box.

Now let's look at the top 5 solutions that meet these criteria.

1. WorkOS

WorkOS is an enterprise authentication platform built specifically for B2B SaaS applications. It provides a comprehensive suite of authentication and user management features designed to help you sell to enterprise customers faster, with excellent Python SDK support that integrates seamlessly with Django.

Key features

• Python SDK: First-class Python SDK with Django integration patterns and middleware support,‍ and Django integration examples.‍
• AI-powered CLI: Instantly integrate AuthKit with npx workos@latest—the CLI automatically detects your Django project and updates your code with authentication.‍
• Sessions model with access + refresh tokens and guidance for secure cookie storage.
• Flexible UI support via APIs and SDKs, with AuthKit as a highly customizable hosted login powered by Radix.
• Enterprise SSO with native SAML and OIDC, configurable by customers through an Admin Portal.‍
• SCIM provisioning: Automated user provisioning and deprovisioning that enterprises expect, handling the "remove this employee immediately" requests that inevitably arrive. Real-time synchronization with any identity provider (Okta, Azure AD, Google Workspace, and more).
• Tamper-proof audit logs for SOC 2, HIPAA, and GDPR.‍
• Passkeys, MFA, social logins, magic auth, and more.
• Secure session handling with server-side validation and instant session revocation capabilities.‍
• Customizable JWT claims: Add custom data to JWT payloads with JWT templates for flexible token customization.‍
• Radar for suspicious login detection and threat monitoring that alerts you to potential account compromises.
• Fine-grained authorization: Role-based access control with customizable permissions.‍
• Feature flags: Integrated feature flagging for gradual rollouts.
• First-class multi-tenancy with organization management, member invitations, and role assignment.‍
• Enterprise SLA and dedicated support.‍
• Pricing that scales with growth, with $0 for the first 1 million users.

Best for

WorkOS is ideal for B2B SaaS companies building on Django that need to sell to enterprise customers. If your roadmap includes features like SSO, SCIM provisioning, or advanced multi-tenancy, WorkOS provides these out of the box instead of requiring months of custom development.

Trade-offs

If you truly only need a quick OAuth login for a hobby app, WorkOS can feel like bringing a well-organized toolbox to hang a single picture. The upside is: you won’t have to rebuild your walls later.

2. Django Allauth

Django Allauth is the most popular third-party authentication package for Django, providing comprehensive authentication, registration, and account management functionality. It's the go-to choice for Django developers who need more than Django's built-in auth but want to stay within the Django ecosystem.

Key features

• Social authentication: Pre-built integrations with 50+ OAuth providers (Google, GitHub, Facebook, etc.).
• Multiple authentication methods: Email/password, social login, email verification.
• Account management: Password reset, email confirmation, account connections.
• Django admin integration: Full integration with Django's admin interface.
• Customizable: Extensive configuration options and template overrides.

Best for

Django Allauth is good for Django applications that need social authentication, email verification, and comprehensive account management without requiring enterprise features.

Trade-offs

• No enterprise SSO support (SAML, OIDC with external identity providers); only OAuth-based social login.
• No SCIM provisioning or directory sync capabilities for enterprise customers.
• Multi-tenancy requires custom architecture and significant development work.
• No built-in admin portal for customer self-service SSO configuration.
• Audit logging and compliance features require custom implementation.
• Organization management and team features need to be built from scratch.
• While highly customizable, complexity increases with customization; extensive configuration options can be overwhelming.
• API token authentication for REST APIs requires additional packages like DRF.
• No magic link authentication out of the box (requires custom implementation).
• Session management and concurrent login handling require custom logic.

3. Django REST framework with Simple JWT

Django REST Framework (DRF) is the standard for building REST APIs in Django, and Simple JWT provides stateless JWT token authentication. This combination is the most common approach for API authentication in Django applications.

Key features

• JWT authentication: Stateless authentication using JSON Web Tokens.
• Access and refresh tokens: Short-lived access tokens with refresh token rotation.
• Token blacklisting: Ability to revoke tokens before expiration.
• DRF integration: Seamless integration with Django REST Framework permissions and views.
• Customizable claims: Add custom data to JWT payloads.

Best for

DRF with Simple JWT is a good choice for Django REST APIs, single-page applications with Django backends, and mobile apps that need stateless token authentication.

Trade-offs

• Designed for API authentication only; not suitable for traditional Django session-based web apps without additional setup.
• No enterprise SSO support (SAML, OIDC with external identity providers).
• No SCIM provisioning or directory sync capabilities.
• Multi-tenancy and organization management require completely custom implementations.
• No built-in user management UI, admin dashboard, or account management flows.
• Social authentication requires separate packages (like Django Allauth) to be integrated.
• Token refresh flow requires client-side implementation and careful handling of token expiration.
• No audit logging or compliance features for tracking user activity.
• Token security concerns; JWTs in localStorage are vulnerable to XSS attacks; requires careful client-side handling.

4. Auth0

Auth0 is a comprehensive identity management platform owned by Okta that provides enterprise-grade authentication with solid Django support through its Python SDK. It offers enterprise authentication features with a managed service approach.

Key features

• Universal login: Hosted authentication pages with customizable branding.
• Enterprise SSO: SAML and OIDC support for enterprise identity providers.
• Social connections: Pre-built integrations with major social providers.
• Multi-Factor Authentication: SMS, email, authenticator apps, and WebAuthn.
• User management dashboard: Comprehensive admin interface for managing users.
• Rules and actions: Custom authentication logic and workflows.
• Python SDK: Official Python SDK with Django integration examples.

Best for

Best suited for organizations that don't want to maintain authentication infrastructure and need both consumer and enterprise features in one platform, and are prepared for vendor lock-in and potentially significant ongoing costs.

Trade-offs

• Pricing can become expensive as you scale; tier-based pricing with limits on features and MAUs.
• Platform complexity; extensive feature set means steeper learning curve compared to simpler solutions.
• Vendor lock-in to Auth0's ecosystem and APIs makes migration difficult.
• Some advanced enterprise features (SCIM provisioning, advanced directory sync) only available on higher-tier plans.
• Django integration requires more custom work compared to Django-native packages; primarily REST API based.
• Rules and Actions run on Auth0's infrastructure, not your Django application, creating operational separation.
• Multi-tenancy features exist but require careful configuration and may not align with your Django application's tenant model.
• Custom domain support for universal login requires additional setup and higher-tier plans.
• Rate limits on authentication API calls can impact high-traffic applications.

5. Supabase Auth

Supabase Auth is part of the larger Supabase platform, providing authentication alongside a PostgreSQL database, storage, and real-time subscriptions. While not Django-specific, it integrates with Django applications through its REST API and Python client library.

Key features

• Multiple auth methods: Email/password, magic links, OAuth providers, and phone authentication.
• Row level security: Database-level security policies that integrate with authentication.
• Python client: Official Python client library for backend integration.
• Open source: Self-hostable for compliance or data residency requirements.
• Integrated platform: Seamless integration with Supabase database, storage, and edge functions.

Best for

Supabase Auth is perfect for startups and indie developers building Django applications who want an integrated backend platform and don't mind stepping outside Django's ecosystem. If you're already using or planning to use PostgreSQL and want real-time features, Supabase's integrated approach can speed up development. However, should you need enterprise features be prepared to build everything from scratch.

Trade-offs

• No enterprise features like SAML SSO or SCIM provisioning; unsuitable for B2B SaaS targeting enterprise customers.
• Platform approach creates vendor lock-in; authentication tightly coupled to Supabase infrastructure.
• Multi-tenancy requires significant custom architecture with database schemas, row-level security policies, and application-level tenant isolation.
• Integration feels less natural than Django-native packages; uses REST API instead of Django's authentication backends and middleware.
• No Django-specific package; requires HTTP requests through Python client library, resulting in more boilerplate.
• Session management doesn't use Django's native sessions; must manage JWT tokens manually.
• Admin dashboard is basic; requires custom tooling for advanced user management.
• JavaScript-first documentation means examples often need translation for Django/Python use cases.
• No integration with Django's admin interface or User model conventions.
• Issues with any Supabase service (database, auth, storage) can impact your entire application.
• Row Level Security (RLS) policies are PostgreSQL-specific and don't align with Django's permission system.

Choosing the right solution for your Django project

The best authentication solution depends on your specific needs:

Choose WorkOS if you're building a B2B SaaS application that needs to sell to enterprise customers. The built-in SSO, SCIM, multi-tenancy, admin portal, feature flags, and on-premises deployment options will save you months of development time and accelerate your enterprise sales motion. WorkOS provides the most complete enterprise feature set on this list with transparent, predictable pricing that scales with your business, unlike platforms with complex tiered pricing that can quickly become expensive. The Python SDK integrates naturally with Django patterns and conventions and the AI-powered CLI makes integration a matter a seconds.

Choose Django Allauth if you're building a consumer-facing application or SaaS product that needs social authentication, email verification, and comprehensive account management but doesn't require enterprise features. It integrates perfectly with Django's conventions and provides everything most Django projects need, though be aware you'll need to build enterprise features like SSO and SCIM from scratch if requirements change.

Choose Django REST Framework with Simple JWT if you're building an API-first Django application, mobile app backend, or single-page application that needs stateless token authentication. This is the standard approach for Django REST APIs, but it's designed for API authentication only; you won't have enterprise SSO, user management UI, or built-in account flows.

Choose Auth0 if you need a fully managed authentication service with both consumer and enterprise features, and you don't mind vendor lock-in. Auth0 provides comprehensive features and excellent documentation, though pricing can escalate quickly and Django integration requires more custom work than Django-native packages.

Choose Supabase Auth if you're building a startup or indie project that doesn't need enterprise features, and you want an integrated backend platform outside Django's ecosystem. Be prepared for less idiomatic Django integration and vendor lock-in to Supabase's infrastructure; this works best when you're already committed to using Supabase for database and storage, not just authentication.

Conclusion: Build secure now, stay adaptable later

Authentication is one of those decisions that's easy to get wrong and expensive to change later. The provider you choose will fundamentally shape your application's scalability, security posture, and ability to win enterprise customers.

For teams building B2B applications, the choice is clear: WorkOS provides the enterprise authentication and authorization infrastructure you'll eventually need, without forcing you to build it yourself or cobble together multiple services. The time you save not implementing SAML SSO, SCIM provisioning, and audit logs is time you can spend building features that differentiate your product. And when that first enterprise prospect asks about SSO during a sales call, you'll be ready with a yes instead of a six-month roadmap item.

Choose the authentication provider that matches where your application is headed, not just where it is today. Your future self (and your enterprise customers) will thank you.

Sign up for WorkOS today and secure your Django app.