Tessera vs StrongDM
StrongDM is a proxy-based access platform for servers, databases, Kubernetes and web apps, with a SaaS control plane and customer-run gateways and relays.
Architecturally we are close: both are proxies, both inject credentials, neither puts anything on your targets. The difference is where authorisation happens. StrongDM's control plane is SaaS at app.strongdm.com, so the decision path leaves your estate even though the traffic does not. Tessera's controller is yours — one Go binary and Postgres, inside your perimeter, with the licence verified offline.
Side by side
| Tessera | StrongDM | |
|---|---|---|
| Kill write access mid-session — no reconnect flip a live session RW → RO in one tap — on SSH, Kubernetes and SQL alike | yes | no |
| Nothing installed — and nothing reconfigured — on your targets your servers, clusters and databases stay exactly as they are | yes | yes |
| Fully self-hosted control plane no vendor cloud anywhere in the access path | yes | no |
| One read-only switch across SSH · Kubernetes · SQL same policy, every protocol — not a per-protocol reimplementation | yes | partial |
| Credentials injected on the controller — never on the user's machine SSH · Kubernetes · SQL | yes | yes |
| Session recording + live watch & force-close | yes | yes |
| Just-in-time access · RBAC · SSO · SCIM | yes | yes |
| Audit export to your SIEM | yes | yes |
Every cell checked against StrongDM's own documentation, 14 August 2026. Products change; if you find something out of date here, tell us and we will correct it.
Where StrongDM is stronger
- Operational load. A SaaS control plane is one you do not run, patch, back up or monitor. If that trade is the one you want, it is a real advantage and not a compromise.
- Breadth and maturity. More target types, a larger integration catalogue, and years more production history than a product at our stage.
Choose StrongDM if…
You would rather not operate the control plane yourself, and a vendor-hosted authorisation path is acceptable to your security review.
Choose Tessera if…
Your regulator, your customers or your own threat model say the access path must not leave your estate — or you need to flip a running session to read-only without reconnecting it.
Comparing something else? Tessera vs Teleport · Tessera vs Boundary