Apache SkyWalking
Apache APM platform for service topology, distributed tracing, metrics, logs, and cloud-native diagnostics.
| License | Apache-2.0 |
| Repository | https://github.com/apache/skywalking |
| GitHub stars (approx) | 24000 |
| Language | Java |
| Self-host deployment | docker, kubernetes helm, source build |
| Commercial hosted option | no / self-host only |
| Freshness status | Fresh |
| Freshness checked | 2026-06-23 |
| Categories | apm, traces, metrics, logs |
| Replaces SaaS | datadog, new-relic, dynatrace |
Apache SkyWalking is a self-hosted APM system for microservices and cloud-native applications. It combines agents, service topology, distributed tracing, metrics, logs, alarms, and storage options including BanyanDB and Elasticsearch.
Pick it if: you want a mature open-source APM suite with language agents and service-centric views rather than assembling tracing, metrics, and topology tooling separately.
Skip it if: you prefer the OpenTelemetry-first Grafana stack or only need a tracing backend. SkyWalking is a broader platform with more moving parts to operate.
Deployment: Docker images and Kubernetes Helm charts are available. Production installs need the OAP server, UI, storage backend, and per-language agents.