Glances vs HyperDX
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted monitoring & status options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Glances
Cross-platform system monitoring at a glance
VS
HyperDX
Open-source observability for logs, traces, and session replay
| Feature | Glances | HyperDX |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 98 · Excellent | 93 · Excellent |
| Category | Monitoring & Status | Monitoring & Status |
| License | LGPL-3.0 | MIT |
| Language | Python | TypeScript |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 128 MB | 1,024 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal, binary | docker, kubernetes, helm |
| GitHub stars | ★ 33,666 | ★ 9,912 |
| First released | 2012 | 2023 |
| Replaces | Datadog | Datadog, Sentry |
What are Glances and HyperDX?
Glances
Glances is a cross-platform system monitoring tool that presents a wide range of host metrics in a terminal or web view. It targets administrators wanting a quick overview of a single machine. It is deployed via Docker, pip, or packages.
- Terminal and web monitoring views
- Wide range of metrics
- REST API and exporters
- Cross-platform support
HyperDX
HyperDX is an open-source observability platform that correlates logs, metrics, traces, and session replays in one place. Built on OpenTelemetry and ClickHouse, it helps developers debug production issues quickly.
- Correlated logs, traces, and replays
- OpenTelemetry-native
- ClickHouse storage
- Full-text log search
Glances vs HyperDX: key differences
Glances is written in Python, while HyperDX is built with TypeScript. Licensing differs — LGPL-3.0 for Glances versus MIT for HyperDX. Glances is the lighter option, starting around 128 MB of RAM against 1,024 MB for HyperDX. Glances is the more established project (first released 2012), while HyperDX arrived in 2023. Glances has the considerably larger community, at 33,666 GitHub stars versus 9,912.
Why pick each one
Choose Glances if…
- Very easy to run
- Lightweight
- Good single-host overview
Watch out for
- Best for one host at a time
- Limited history
Choose HyperDX if…
- Session replay correlation
- Developer-focused UX
Watch out for
- Newer project
- Requires ClickHouse
Frequently asked questions
Is Glances or HyperDX better?
Glances is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler easy setup. Consider HyperDX if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are Glances and HyperDX free and open-source?
Yes. Glances is licensed under LGPL-3.0 and HyperDX under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Glances and HyperDX with Docker?
Glances: yes. HyperDX: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Glances or HyperDX?
Glances has the smaller minimum footprint at 128 MB of RAM, compared to about 1,024 MB for HyperDX. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.