Keycloak Minimum Requirements
To meet keycloak minimum requirements, give your server enough memory, CPU cores, and disk space. You must also set up a Supported Java runtime and an external relational database. Teams often start by spinning up a single node with local file storage. They then give admin roles to every engineer who needs to test the login flow. Overly broad roles let too many people change realm rules or read user keys. Planning your keycloak minimum requirements Keycloak runs on a Java virtual machine and
Keycloak + Data Residency Requirements: the complete guide
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To meet keycloak minimum requirements, give your server enough memory, CPU cores, and disk space. You must also set up a Supported Java runtime and an external relational database. Teams often start by spinning up a single node with local file storage. They then give admin roles to every engineer who needs to test the login flow. Overly broad roles let too many people change realm rules or read user keys.
Planning your keycloak minimum requirements
Keycloak runs on a Java virtual machine and stores all user data in a database. For basic testing, a small virtual machine with modest memory and disk space works fine. Production setups need more memory to handle active user sessions and token signing tasks. You also need multiple CPU cores so login spikes do not slow down token checks. Never use the built-in local database for real user traffic in your main cluster. Instead, point your nodes to a shared database like PostgreSQL or MySQL. A shared database lets multiple nodes run at the same time for high availability. You should also place a load balancer in front of your server nodes. Terminate TLS at the edge or on the nodes so traffic stays encrypted in transit. Finally, check that your network allows nodes to talk to each other over internal ports.
Setting up database roles and admin permissions
Sizing the server is only the first step in a safe identity setup. You also need to lock down the database account that the server uses to run. Create a dedicated database user that only has rights to the specific identity schema. Do not give this account superuser rights over your entire database instance. Inside the identity console, split admin work into small, focused roles for your team. Avoid giving the master realm admin role to engineers for daily support tasks. Instead, create custom roles that only allow viewing users or resetting passwords in one realm. Store the database password and admin login keys in a secure secret store. Rotate these keys on a fixed schedule so old credentials do not stay active.
What native identity setup solves and what keeps the session active
A sized and locked-down identity server solves the problem of checking who a user is. It issues signed tokens and groups users into roles for your apps and tools. Still, the identity server only checks who logs in at the start of a session. Once an engineer connects to a database or server, the identity server steps out. It cannot see what SQL queries or shell commands that user runs in flight. If an engineer has a valid role, they can still run a bad update statement. They can also query tables that hold raw emails, phone numbers, or card numbers. Native login checks do not mask those fields in query results or require command reviews.
Keycloak + Data Residency Requirements: architecture patterns and best practices
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Frequently asked questions
Can I use the built-in database for a small production team?
No, the built-in database is only for local testing and quick demos. Always use a separate relational database for real users so you do not lose data.
Why does my identity server run out of memory during login spikes?
Every active login session and token request uses heap memory inside the Java runtime. Increase the memory limit for the Java process and add another node to share traffic.
How should we manage the initial bootstrap admin account?
Use the bootstrap admin account only to set up your first realm and admin roles. After you link individual admin accounts, disable or delete that initial bootstrap user right away.