Smallstep Certificates vs Dogtag Certificate System

Struggling to choose between Smallstep Certificates and Dogtag Certificate System? Both products offer unique advantages, making it a tough decision.

Smallstep Certificates is a Security & Privacy solution with tags like certificates, tls, ssl, pki, encryption.

It boasts features such as Automated certificate issuance and renewal, Support for multiple certificate authorities, CLI and APIs for automation, Built-in OCSP and CRL endpoints, Cryptographic private key generation, Configuration management with JSON/YAML and pros including Open source and free to use, Simple and easy to use, Secure by default with short-lived certificates, Highly customizable and extensible, Active development and community support.

On the other hand, Dogtag Certificate System is a Security & Privacy product tagged with certificates, public-key-infrastructure, pki, identity-management, authentication.

Its standout features include Issues and manages public key infrastructure (PKI) certificates, Provides certificate life-cycle management tools, Supports X.509 v3 certificate profiles, Integrates with LDAP directories for certificate authentication, Includes certificate authority (CA), registration authority (RA) and key recovery authority (KRA) services, Enables automated certificate enrollment and renewal, Allows creation of certificate policies and constraints, Includes web-based management console and command line tools, Offers high availability configurations with database replication, Built-in support for hardware security modules (HSMs), and it shines with pros like Open source and free to use, Enterprise-grade security and scalability, Flexible architecture and integration options, Automates certificate management workflows, Rich policy control for certificates, Supports industry standards like ACME, EST, SCEP, Backed by Red Hat with long term support.

Feature	Smallstep Certificates	Dogtag Certificate System
Overall Score	N/A	N/A
Primary Category	Security & Privacy	Security & Privacy

Product Overview

Smallstep Certificates

Description: Smallstep Certificates is an open source certificate authority that makes it easy to issue and manage TLS certificates. It provides a simple CLI and APIs to automate certificate lifecycle.

Dogtag Certificate System

Description: Dogtag Certificate System is an enterprise-grade open source certificate authority that can issue and manage public key infrastructure certificates. It provides easy-to-use tools for certificate life-cycle management.

Key Features Comparison

Smallstep Certificates Features

• Automated certificate issuance and renewal
• Support for multiple certificate authorities
• CLI and APIs for automation
• Built-in OCSP and CRL endpoints
• Cryptographic private key generation
• Configuration management with JSON/YAML

Dogtag Certificate System Features

• Issues and manages public key infrastructure (PKI) certificates
• Provides certificate life-cycle management tools
• Supports X.509 v3 certificate profiles
• Integrates with LDAP directories for certificate authentication
• Includes certificate authority (CA), registration authority (RA) and key recovery authority (KRA) services
• Enables automated certificate enrollment and renewal
• Allows creation of certificate policies and constraints
• Includes web-based management console and command line tools
• Offers high availability configurations with database replication
• Built-in support for hardware security modules (HSMs)

Pros & Cons Analysis

Smallstep Certificates

Pros

• Open source and free to use
• Simple and easy to use
• Secure by default with short-lived certificates
• Highly customizable and extensible
• Active development and community support

Cons

• Limited enterprise management features
• Not as feature rich as some commercial CAs
• Requires more technical expertise to operate
• Not ideal for extremely high certificate volumes

Dogtag Certificate System

Pros

• Open source and free to use
• Enterprise-grade security and scalability
• Flexible architecture and integration options
• Automates certificate management workflows
• Rich policy control for certificates
• Supports industry standards like ACME, EST, SCEP
• Backed by Red Hat with long term support

Cons

• Complex installation and configuration
• Requires Linux system administration skills
• Limited built-in monitoring and reporting
• Not as user friendly as some commercial CAs
• Lacks graphical workflow designer
• Requires additional components like database and web server

Pricing Comparison

Smallstep Certificates

• Open Source

Dogtag Certificate System

• Open Source