Munin 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?
FeatureMuninApache SkyWalking
CategoryMonitoring & StatusMonitoring & Status
LicenseGPL-2.0Apache-2.0
LanguagePerlJava
Setup difficultyEasyHard
Min. RAM128 MB2,048 MB
Deploymentbare-metal, sourcedocker, kubernetes, helm
GitHub stars★ 2,136★ 24,915
First released20042015
ReplacesDatadogNew Relic, Datadog

Why pick each one

Choose Munin if…

  • Very easy to get started
  • Large library of plugins
Munin details

Choose Apache SkyWalking if…

  • Full observability suite
  • Strong Apache governance
Apache SkyWalking details

Frequently asked questions

Is Munin or Apache SkyWalking better?

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

Are Munin and Apache SkyWalking free and open-source?

Yes. Munin is licensed under GPL-2.0 and Apache SkyWalking under Apache-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.

Can I run Munin and Apache SkyWalking with Docker?

Munin: check the project docs for container support. Apache SkyWalking: yes.

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