Apache Exporter vs Apache SkyWalking
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted monitoring & status options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Not the right match-up?
Apache Exporter
Prometheus exporter for Apache HTTP Server metrics
VS
Apache SkyWalking
APM and observability for cloud-native architectures
| Feature | Apache Exporter | Apache SkyWalking |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Monitoring & Status | Monitoring & Status |
| License | Apache-2.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Language | Go | Java |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Hard |
| Min. RAM | 64 MB | 2,048 MB |
| Deployment | docker, binary, kubernetes | docker, kubernetes, helm |
| GitHub stars | ★ 361 | ★ 24,915 |
| First released | 2015 | 2015 |
| Replaces | Datadog Apache, New Relic Apache | New Relic, Datadog |
Why pick each one
Choose Apache SkyWalking if…
- Full observability suite
- Strong Apache governance
Frequently asked questions
Is Apache Exporter or Apache SkyWalking better?
Neither is universally better. Apache SkyWalking has the larger community, while Apache Exporter is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Apache Exporter and Apache SkyWalking free and open-source?
Yes. Apache Exporter is licensed under Apache-2.0 and Apache SkyWalking under Apache-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Apache Exporter and Apache SkyWalking with Docker?
Apache Exporter: yes. Apache SkyWalking: yes.