HyperDX 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.
HyperDX
Open-source observability for logs, traces, and session replay
VS
Apache SkyWalking
APM and observability for cloud-native architectures
| Feature | HyperDX | Apache SkyWalking |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 93 · Excellent | 97 · Excellent |
| Category | Monitoring & Status | Monitoring & Status |
| License | MIT | Apache-2.0 |
| Language | TypeScript | Java |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Hard |
| Min. RAM | 1,024 MB | 2,048 MB |
| Deployment | docker, kubernetes, helm | docker, kubernetes, helm |
| GitHub stars | ★ 9,912 | ★ 24,962 |
| First released | 2023 | 2015 |
| Replaces | Datadog, Sentry | New Relic, Datadog |
What are HyperDX and Apache SkyWalking?
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
Apache SkyWalking
Apache SkyWalking is an APM and observability platform for distributed systems, especially microservices and cloud-native architectures. It provides tracing, metrics, logging, and service topology analysis.
- Distributed tracing and metrics
- Service topology maps
- eBPF and OTel integration
- Alerting engine
HyperDX vs Apache SkyWalking: key differences
HyperDX is written in TypeScript, while Apache SkyWalking is built with Java. Licensing differs — MIT for HyperDX versus Apache-2.0 for Apache SkyWalking. HyperDX is the lighter option, starting around 1,024 MB of RAM against 2,048 MB for Apache SkyWalking. Apache SkyWalking is the more established project (first released 2015), while HyperDX arrived in 2023. Apache SkyWalking has the considerably larger community, at 24,962 GitHub stars versus 9,912.
Why pick each one
Choose HyperDX if…
- Session replay correlation
- Developer-focused UX
Watch out for
- Newer project
- Requires ClickHouse
Choose Apache SkyWalking if…
- Full observability suite
- Strong Apache governance
Watch out for
- Steep learning curve
- Storage backend required
Frequently asked questions
Is HyperDX or Apache SkyWalking better?
Neither is universally better. Apache SkyWalking has the larger community, while HyperDX is simpler to set up (medium difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are HyperDX and Apache SkyWalking free and open-source?
Yes. HyperDX is licensed under MIT and Apache SkyWalking under Apache-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run HyperDX and Apache SkyWalking with Docker?
HyperDX: yes. Apache SkyWalking: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, HyperDX or Apache SkyWalking?
HyperDX has the smaller minimum footprint at 1,024 MB of RAM, compared to about 2,048 MB for Apache SkyWalking. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.