AuthZed Cloud
AuthZed Cloud is a managed authorization platform built on SpiceDB (an open-source Google Zanzibar-inspired system with over 6,700 GitHub stars).
Publisher review
AuthZed Cloud is a managed authorization platform built on SpiceDB (an open-source Google Zanzibar-inspired system with over 6,700 GitHub stars). It is designed for engineering teams at companies like Workday, Turo, Neo Financial, and OpenAI that need to replace homegrown permission logic with a centralized, declarative system. The service targets modern applications including AI agents, RAG pipelines, and MCP (Model Context Protocol) integrations, offering tool-level checks for agents and per-document access for retrieval-augmented generation. It is ideal for teams that want to avoid running their own SpiceDB database while still getting infrastructure-grade authorization that scales to tens of billions of checks per day across production codebases.
The platform requires only three API calls to go from zero to live permission checks: writeSchema() to define the authorization model, writeRelationships() to connect the graph, and checkPermission() to evaluate access. It supports REST, gRPC, and SDKs for Go, TypeScript, Python, and more. AuthZed Cloud provides real-time performance insights on API usage, zero-downtime deploys and upgrades, automated updates, and multi-region deployments. It includes audit logging via a Kafka-compatible API, official Datadog integration, OpenTelemetry tracing and metrics, private networking, workload isolation, rate limiting, and annual penetration tests with embargoed vulnerability remediation. The service offers schema and architecture design reviews, a dedicated account team with scheduled check-ins, and onboarding support.
AuthZed Cloud competes directly with OpenFGA (another Zanzibar-inspired open-source project), Ory Keto, Permify, and Casbin. Unlike OpenFGA, which requires self-hosting or a separate managed service, AuthZed Cloud provides a fully managed control plane with pay-as-you-grow pricing and hourly metered billing. Compared to Ory Keto and Permify, AuthZed Cloud offers deeper integration with AI workloads and a more mature ecosystem of SDKs and observability tooling. Casbin is a simpler, rule-based system that lacks the relationship-based graph model of SpiceDB, making AuthZed Cloud more suitable for complex, multi-tenant permissions at scale.
The primary trade-off is that AuthZed Cloud uses a shared control plane and operates only in pre-selected regions, which limits data locality control for teams with strict compliance requirements. It does not support some advanced features like materialize in the cloud plan, which may be a dealbreaker for teams needing real-time relationship materialization. Self-service registration and deployment require some compromises compared to the fully isolated Dedicated offering. Pricing, while transparent and usage-based, can become unpredictable at very high volumes, and the $700 starter credit program is a limited-time offer that may not cover sustained production usage for larger deployments.
How it works
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Three API call integration
Go from zero to live permission checks with writeSchema(), writeRelationships(), and checkPermission() — no custom authorization code needed.
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AI agent and RAG support
Provides tool-level checks for AI agents, per-document access for RAG pipelines, and fine-grained scopes for MCP integrations.
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Multi-region deployments
Deploy authorization across multiple regions with zero-downtime upgrades and automated updates for high availability.
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Real-time performance insights
Monitor API usage with real-time dashboards showing ops/s, RPC totals, and latency metrics for every permission check.
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Kafka-compatible audit logging
Stream all API request and response data to Kafka for centralized audit logging and compliance reporting.
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SDK and protocol support
Integrate via REST, gRPC, or SDKs for Go, TypeScript, Python, and more, fitting any tech stack.
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Pay-as-you-grow pricing
Hourly metered billing with monthly invoicing in arrears, plus a $700 starter credit program for new users.
Strengths and trade-offs
Strengths
- Eliminates engineering overhead by replacing homegrown authorization stacks that typically require maintaining dozens of if-statements across multiple functions.
- Scales to tens of billions of permission checks daily across production codebases, as demonstrated by customers like Workday and OpenAI.
- Built specifically for AI agents with tool-level checks, per-document access for RAG, and fine-grained scopes for MCP, addressing modern AI workload requirements.
- Offers a fully managed control plane with zero-downtime deploys, automated updates, and multi-region support, removing the operational burden of running SpiceDB.
Trade-offs
- Uses a shared control plane and operates only in pre-selected regions, limiting data locality control for teams with strict compliance needs.
- Does not support some advanced features like materialize in the cloud plan, which may be required for real-time relationship materialization in complex schemas.
- Self-service registration and deployment require compromises compared to the fully isolated AuthZed Dedicated offering, such as shared infrastructure and limited customization.
- Pricing, while transparent and usage-based, can become unpredictable at very high volumes, and the $700 starter credit program may not cover sustained production usage for larger deployments.
Pricing context
Pay-as-you-grow pricing with hourly metered billing and monthly invoicing in arrears. Starter credits available for $700. No fixed tiers disclosed; pricing is usage-based with transparent billing.
Getting started with AuthZed Cloud
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Sign up for AuthZed Cloud
Navigate to the AuthZed Cloud website and create an account. Provide your email and organization details. After verification, log in to the console to access the dashboard and begin setting up your authorization service.
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Connect your application
In the AuthZed Cloud console, generate an API key for your project. Install the SpiceDB SDK for your language (Go, TypeScript, Python, etc.) and configure it with the API endpoint and key from the console.
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Define your authorization model
Use the writeSchema() API call to define your permission model as a SpiceDB schema. Specify object types, relations, and permissions that match your application's access control requirements. Test the schema in the console's playground.
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Write relationships and check permissions
Call writeRelationships() to populate the authorization graph with user-object relationships. Then use checkPermission() to evaluate access for a user on a resource. Verify the result returns expected true/false values.
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Monitor and audit permissions
In the console, view real-time dashboards for ops/s and latency. Enable audit logging by connecting to the Kafka-compatible endpoint. Set up Datadog or OpenTelemetry integration for ongoing observability and compliance.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is AuthZed Cloud and how does it work?
AuthZed Cloud is a managed authorization platform built on SpiceDB, an open-source system inspired by Google Zanzibar. It replaces homegrown permission logic with a centralized, declarative system using just three API calls: writeSchema(), writeRelationships(), and checkPermission().
How does AuthZed Cloud handle AI agent and RAG authorization?
AuthZed Cloud provides tool-level checks for AI agents, per-document access for RAG pipelines, and fine-grained scopes for MCP integrations. This ensures that agents and retrieval systems only access permitted data, supporting modern AI workloads with precise permission controls.
What are the main competitors to AuthZed Cloud?
AuthZed Cloud competes with OpenFGA, Ory Keto, Permify, and Casbin. Unlike OpenFGA, it offers a fully managed control plane. It provides deeper AI workload integration and a more mature SDK ecosystem compared to Ory Keto and Permify, while Casbin lacks the relationship-based graph model.
How much does AuthZed Cloud cost and what is the pricing model?
AuthZed Cloud uses pay-as-you-grow pricing with hourly metered billing and monthly invoicing in arrears. There are no fixed tiers, and pricing is usage-based. New users receive a $700 starter credit program, though this may not cover sustained production usage for larger deployments.
What are the limitations of AuthZed Cloud?
AuthZed Cloud uses a shared control plane and operates only in pre-selected regions, limiting data locality for compliance. It does not support materialize in the cloud plan. Self-service registration involves compromises compared to the Dedicated offering, and pricing can become unpredictable at very high volumes.
How do I integrate AuthZed Cloud into my application?
Integration requires only three API calls: writeSchema() to define the authorization model, writeRelationships() to connect the graph, and checkPermission() to evaluate access. AuthZed Cloud supports REST, gRPC, and SDKs for Go, TypeScript, Python, and more, fitting any tech stack.
Alternatives
How AuthZed Cloud compares
Direct head-to-head against 3 competitors. Picked by 7wData.
AuthZed Cloud
- Pricing
- Pay-as-you-grow pricing with hourly metered billing and monthly invoicing in arrears. Starter credits available for $700. No fixed tiers disclosed; pricing is usage-based with transparent billing.
- Target
- AuthZed Cloud is a managed authorization platform built on SpiceDB (an open-source Google Zanzibar-inspired system with over 6,700 GitHub stars).
- Strength
- Eliminates engineering overhead by replacing homegrown authorization stacks that typically require maintaining dozens of if-statements across multiple functions.
- Watch for
- Uses a shared control plane and operates only in pre-selected regions, limiting data locality control for teams with strict compliance needs.
Permit.io
- Pricing
- $150/month (Startup, 10K MAU)
- Target
- Developers needing full-stack authorization with a visual policy editor
- Deployment
- Cloud/SaaS
- Strength
- Excellent UI and policy editor for non-developers
- Watch for
- Pricing escalates steeply beyond 10K MAU
Oso Cloud
- Pricing
- $149/month (Pro tier)
- Target
- Teams wanting embedded authorization using a declarative policy language
- Deployment
- Cloud/SaaS
- Strength
- Polar language enables expressive, code-like policy authoring
- Watch for
- Deprecated open-source version; vendor lock-in risk on cloud
Cerbos
- Pricing
- £25/month (100+ principals)
- Target
- Developers preferring YAML-based policies and open-core deployment
- Deployment
- Self-hosted or Cloud
- Strength
- Simple YAML policy authoring with low operational overhead
- Watch for
- Limited ReBAC support; less scalable for complex relationship graphs
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