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Sakai

Free plan APILinuxMacSelf-hostedWebWindows

What Sakai is

Sakai is an open-source platform for learning management, communication and collaboration, intended for teaching and learning in person or online. Its project describes the platform as created by educators for educators. Instructors can arrange resources, text, quizzes, tests, assignments, links, video and other media into lessons or modules, with conditional release for materials. Assessment tools cover student submissions, feedback, high-stakes tests, formative assessments, online assignments, rubric-based scoring and grade entry.

For interaction, Sakai provides synchronous and asynchronous tools for messaging, discussions, social connections and collaborative work. It implements the IMS LTI specification and offers an API for native integrations with third-party applications. Course and system administration includes configurable roles and permissions. Sakai is a Java-based web application typically deployed with Apache Tomcat, and it can scale across multiple Tomcat instances in a cluster. The project lists CAS, Kerberos, LDAP, Shibboleth and WebAuth among supported external authentication services. The Sakai 25 series is licensed under the Educational Community License version 2.0. It is available as a free self-hosted download, and a sample cloud-hosted account is also listed at no cost.

Who it suits

Sakai is for educators who want an open-source environment for courses, assessments and collaboration. It is also suited to teams able to configure and host the software themselves, or explore teaching and student views through the sample account.

What it does well

Supports course lessons, modules and conditional material release.
Includes grading, tests, assignments and rubric-based scoring.
Provides synchronous and asynchronous communication tools.
Implements IMS LTI and offers an API.
Free self-hosted download and sample account are listed.

What to know first

The self-hosted plan requires users to configure and host it.
The Java application is typically deployed with Apache Tomcat.
Official community support for Sakai 22 ceased with the Sakai 25 series.

Limits

The self-hosted option requires users to configure and host the software themselves. The cloud-hosted option is a sample account and course, with instructor and student views and online help.

Plans

Plan	Billed and limits	Price
Sakai (self-hosted)	Free download · configure and host it yourself	Free
Sakai cloud-hosted sample	Sample account and course · experience instructor and student views · online help	Free

As sakailms.org lists them, read 12 Oct 2026. The maker's own page has the final word.

Getting started

Visit the Sakai website.
Choose the free self-hosted download or the cloud-hosted sample account.
For self-hosting, configure and host the application; Sakai is typically deployed with Apache Tomcat.
Consult Sakai user guides or the community wiki for deployment information and feature help.
For older versions, follow the project's recommendation to upgrade for current security patches.

Verdict

Pick Sakai if you want an open-source platform with course, assessment and collaboration tools, and can manage its deployment or use the sample account. Look elsewhere if you need current official community support for Sakai 22; the project encourages older-version users to upgrade for current security patches.

Questions

Is Sakai free?

Yes. The self-hosted download and cloud-hosted sample are both listed as free.

Is Sakai open source?

Yes. Sakai is an open-source platform, and the Sakai 25 series is licensed under the Educational Community License version 2.0.

What platforms are listed?

The listed platforms are API, Linux, macOS, self-hosted, web and Windows.

Can Sakai connect to other applications?

It implements the IMS LTI specification and provides an API for native integrations with third-party applications.

What support is available?

The project directs users to its guides and community wiki. Official community support for Sakai 22 ceased with the Sakai 25 series.

Can I try Sakai in the cloud?

A free cloud-hosted sample account and course is listed, with instructor and student views and online help.

Facts from Sakai's own pages

Accessibility: The Sakai community states a goal of meeting WCAG 2.2 Level A and AA success criteria and says it regularly evaluates accessibility. · sakailms.org, 12 Oct 2026
Administration: Sakai provides course and system administration and configurable roles and permissions. · sakailms.org, 12 Oct 2026
API access: Yes · sakailms.org, 20 Sept 2026
Assessments: Yes · sakailms.org, 20 Sept 2026
Audience: The project describes Sakai as created by educators for educators and supports teaching and learning in person or online. · sakailms.org, 12 Oct 2026
Authentication and data: The project lists CAS, Kerberos, LDAP, Shibboleth, and WebAuth among supported external authentication services; production deployments typically use a database and file storage. · source.sakaiproject.org, 12 Oct 2026
Communication: Sakai includes synchronous and asynchronous tools for messaging, discussions, social connections, and collaborative work. · sakailms.org, 12 Oct 2026
Community tools: Community members develop Sakai-specific tools that can be used outside the packaged release, and users can build their own. · sakailms.org, 12 Oct 2026
Course tools: Instructors can organize text, resources, quizzes, tests, assignments, links, video, and other media into lessons or modules, with conditional release for materials. · sakailms.org, 12 Oct 2026
Deployment: Sakai is a Java-based web application typically deployed with Apache Tomcat, and can scale through multiple Tomcat instances in a cluster. · source.sakaiproject.org, 12 Oct 2026
Free plan: Yes · sakailms.org, 20 Sept 2026
Grading: Sakai supports student submissions, feedback, high-stakes tests, formative assessments, online assignments, rubric-based scoring, and grade entry. · sakailms.org, 12 Oct 2026
Help resources: The maker points users to Sakai user guides and a community wiki for feature help, participation, deployment information, and best practices. · sakailms.org, 12 Oct 2026
Hosting and services: The Sakai site says commercial affiliates develop, host, and support Sakai, and identifies Longsight, Learning Experiences, and EDF as its main affiliates. · sakailms.org, 12 Oct 2026
Integrations: Sakai implements the IMS LTI specification and provides an API for native integrations with third-party applications. · sakailms.org, 12 Oct 2026
License: The Sakai 25 series is licensed under the Educational Community License version 2.0. · source.sakaiproject.org, 12 Oct 2026
Product: Sakai is an open-source learning management, communications, and collaboration platform. · source.sakaiproject.org, 12 Oct 2026
Support: The project says official community support for Sakai 22 ceased with the Sakai 25 series and encourages older-version users to upgrade for current security patches. · source.sakaiproject.org, 12 Oct 2026