Logstash 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?
FeatureLogstashApache SkyWalking
CategoryMonitoring & StatusMonitoring & Status
LicenseApache-2.0Apache-2.0
LanguageJavaJava
Setup difficultyMediumHard
Min. RAM1,024 MB2,048 MB
Deploymentdocker, kubernetes, binarydocker, kubernetes, helm
GitHub stars★ 14,912★ 24,915
First released20092015
ReplacesFluentdNew Relic, Datadog

Why pick each one

Choose Logstash if…

  • Powerful transformation language
  • Huge plugin library
Logstash details

Choose Apache SkyWalking if…

  • Full observability suite
  • Strong Apache governance
Apache SkyWalking details

Frequently asked questions

Is Logstash or Apache SkyWalking better?

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

Are Logstash and Apache SkyWalking free and open-source?

Yes. Logstash 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 Logstash and Apache SkyWalking with Docker?

Logstash: yes. Apache SkyWalking: yes.

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