RADIUS vs TACACS+: What’s the Difference?
In this video, we compare RADIUS and TACACS+ to clarify their differences and ideal use cases in network security. Both protocols provide authentication, authorization, and accounting (AAA), but they serve different purposes within an organization’s infrastructure.
RADIUS is most commonly used for Wi-Fi, wired, and VPN authentication. It focuses on controlling user and device access to the network at scale, supporting credential-based and certificate-based authentication methods and enabling VLAN segmentation for secure access control. TACACS+, on the other hand, is more tailored toward network administration. It separates the authentication, authorization, and accounting processes, allowing organizations to authorize every administrative command and log every configuration change.
We also explore how TACACS+ improves network forensics by recording detailed logs of administrative actions, which can be critical during security investigations. If you’re deciding between RADIUS and TACACS+ for your environment, this video explains when to use each and how they complement one another.