Cube vs Apache SkyWalking

A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted apps from related categories — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.

Not the right match-up?
FeatureCubeApache SkyWalking
CategoryDashboards & StartpagesMonitoring & Status
LicenseApache-2.0Apache-2.0
LanguageRustJava
Setup difficultyMediumHard
Min. RAM512 MB2,048 MB
Deploymentdocker, kubernetes, sourcedocker, kubernetes, helm
GitHub stars★ 20,572★ 24,915
First released20192015
ReplacesLooker, AtScaleNew Relic, Datadog

Why pick each one

Choose Cube if…

  • Consistent metrics across tools
  • Strong API surface
Cube details

Choose Apache SkyWalking if…

  • Full observability suite
  • Strong Apache governance
Apache SkyWalking details

Frequently asked questions

Is Cube or Apache SkyWalking better?

Neither is universally better. Apache SkyWalking has the larger community, while Cube is simpler to set up (medium difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.

Are Cube and Apache SkyWalking free and open-source?

Yes. Cube 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 Cube and Apache SkyWalking with Docker?

Cube: yes. Apache SkyWalking: yes.

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