Understanding the Cost of Self-Hosted Authentication
For many businesses, the decision to self-host authentication systems is driven by the desire to reduce dependency on third-party services and control costs. However, the actual savings can be difficult to quantify without real-world data.
Infrastructure Cost vs. MAU Pricing
At Bastionary, we've seen real deployments across various user scales — from 50K to 1M monthly active users (MAUs). These deployments provide a clear comparison between the cost of self-hosted infrastructure and the pricing of MAU-based services from third-party providers.
- 50K MAUs: A self-hosted deployment at this scale can save up to 60% compared to a third-party MAU pricing model.
- 200K MAUs: Savings increase to 75% as the scale of self-hosted infrastructure grows.
- 500K MAUs: At this level, the cost of self-hosted infrastructure becomes significantly more efficient than third-party pricing models.
- 1M MAUs: The savings can be as high as 85% when comparing self-hosted infrastructure to third-party MAU pricing.
Key Insight: The larger the scale of self-hosted infrastructure, the greater the savings compared to third-party MAU pricing models. This is due to the fixed cost of self-hosted infrastructure, which scales linearly with user growth, while third-party pricing models often include variable costs that increase with user scale.
Real-World Deployments: What the Numbers Mean
Community deployments of Bastionary's self-hosted authentication platform have provided us with concrete data on cost savings. These deployments are not theoretical — they are real, and the numbers are accurate.
Cost Breakdown for 50K MAUs
Let's look at a specific example: a deployment with 50K MAUs.
- Self-hosted infrastructure cost: $1,200 per month.
- Third-party MAU pricing model cost: $3,000 per month.
- Savings: $1,800 per month, or 60%.
This is not just a number — it's a real saving that can be applied to any business looking to reduce costs and increase control over its authentication systems.
Why Choose Bastionary for Self-Hosted Authentication?
Bastionary is more than just a self-hosted authentication platform — it's a comprehensive solution that includes billing, licensing, and feature flags. This integration allows businesses to manage all aspects of their authentication systems from a single platform, reducing complexity and increasing efficiency.
For example, a business using Bastionary's self-hosted authentication platform can also manage its billing and licensing systems from the same platform. This eliminates the need for multiple third-party services and reduces the risk of integration issues.
Warning: While self-hosted authentication can provide significant cost savings, it also requires careful management of infrastructure and user growth. Businesses must be prepared to invest in the right tools and expertise to ensure long-term success.
By choosing Bastionary, businesses can benefit from a self-hosted authentication platform that is both cost-effective